Boxing
Can relaxed Hrgovic hit right notes to derail the Moses express?
Moses vs. Hrgovic: Only on DAZN PPV – Saturday
For a man who will be boxing for the IBF world heavyweight title on Saturday night, Filip Hrgovic could not be more relaxed about his impending test.
Heading towards a showdown with Moses Itauma at The O2 Arena in London, the Croatian is the clear underdog in the eyes of both pundits and bookmakers.
Twenty-one with plenty of years to come, his undefeated rival is already seen as an unstoppable freight train steaming towards glamour-division domination.
But Hrgovic is confident he can derail the Moses express and stop his foe from becoming the youngest world heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson.
That belief comes from the experience of a career that has seen him win all but one of his professional bouts, his perfect preparation and his devout faith.
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"It was a great training camp," Hrgovic told DAZN News this week. "Finally, [after] the last six years, it's the first training camp that everything [went] great.
“I think God [has] put me through a lot of temptations, a lot of tests. Now, in the most important moment of my life, he gave me a great camp, and a great win on Saturday.”
Since being stopped by Daniel Dubois in June 2024, Hrgovic has recovered to become something of a British boogeyman, scoring three straight victories to rebound.
Joe Joyce, David Adeleye and Dave Allen have all been dispatched in his last three fights, with the first two on points and The White Rhino via a third-round stoppage.
Stepping into hostile territory in England's capital seemingly won’t faze a fighter who also has an eye on creating history.
Should Hrgovic, 34, upset the odds and beat Itauma, he will become the first-ever Croatian to claim a world heavyweight title.
When the fight was first signed and announced, the IBF belt was not on the line. But with Oleksandr Usyk vacating his gold, the stakes have ramped up considerably.
For Hrgovic, though, the news did not alter preparations under the watchful eye of renowned trainer Abel Sanchez.
He added: “Everything stays the same. It didn't change. A fight is a fight. With the belt or without, it's basically the same.
“It's of course a great thing, but... it didn't change [my approach].”
With the hard work done at The Summit Gym at Big Bear in California, Hrgovic can step off the gas until fight night.
He will, of course, keep ticking over between now and Saturday — but there will be additional time to practice playing the ukulele.
Along with strumming away, Hrgovic enjoys a sing-song. However, he has no intention of following in Tyson Fury’s footsteps by belting out a song in the ring.
He said: “Just easy workouts now, once a day. Easy pads, shadow box, jump rope a little bit, maybe one hour every day and that's it.
“I'm just a beginner [with the ukulele]. Tyson has a good voice — he sings good. I sound terrible.”
Whether Hrgovic can hit the right notes to beat Moses will become clear at the weekend.
Moses vs. Hrgovic - exclusively on DAZN PPV
Watch Moses Itauma attempt to become the youngest world heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson against Filip Hrgovic on Saturday night, only on DAZN.
Buy as a one-off PPV or included along with Garcia vs. Benn (Sept 12, UK only) and Canelo vs. Mbilli (Oct 31) PPVs with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
