Boxing
Is Moses' weigh-in conduct a weakness? Or is potential heavyweight superstar just eager to fight?
Moses vs Hrgovic: Watch on DAZN PPV - TONIGHT
Moses Itauma’s physical confrontation with Filip Hrgovic at their bad-tempered weigh-in showed a new side to a heavyweight youngster who has been a picture of coolness since breaking into the sport just a few years ago.
Words were exchanged between the pair, the typical boastfulness often seen at these events, but when Hrgovic turned to the crowd to show off his impressive physique, Moses retaliated by pushing the Croatian veteran off the stage .
Immediately, the incident demonstrated that the Briton can be irked at last - but it also arguably showed a recklessness that could've put his heavyweight title fight, and with it a potential crowning moment, in serious jeopardy.
The reason weigh-in dust-ups are usually dominated by pushing, pulling and hands around the throat is because anything more physical could put the whole affair in doubt.
Every fighter will have put in so much work to get to this point. Any act of aggression that could potentially put the fight in doubt through injury - any punch or headbutt - is rarely seen.
By shoving Hrgovic to the floor, Moses risked his opponent landing awkwardly. Although he may have meant for the push to trigger a reaction, it could've been a lot worse if Hrgovic was unable to fight.
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BUY NOW: Watch Itauma vs. Hrgovic exclusively on DAZN PPV & Ultimate Tier
Luckily, Hrgovic was okay, but when returning to the stage, he managed to land a slap that caught Moses across the face. This led to both team going at it before security performed an admirable job by intervening sensibly.
Why did Moses push Hrgovic? Was something said that he believed crossed the line? Was it an act of getting one last shot on his rival before they do battle?
Obviously, that backfired, but whatever the reason, it demonstrated that Moses, although often cold and calculated, does have a breaking point and will not tolerate opponents who he believes have somehow crossed the line.
Will this mean anything on fight night? Not likely. Social media was awash with once-a-week body language experts who were somehow able to tell us Moses’ reasoning for the outburst, but this is a young man on the verge of creating history who has endured a lengthy camp preparing for the biggest night of his life and he might be just raring to go.
Moses is a sporting phenomenon, but he is also human, and at 21, it’s perfectly understandable why on the eve of his grandest moment to date, the occasion may have got the better of him.
His team around him, training and promotional, have been here many times before and a quiet whisper in his ear about keeping it together may have done the trick on Friday evening.
Now onto Saturday, and inside the ring where it matters most. If Moses can get past Hrgovic in style, then the weigh-in shenanigans will quickly be forgotten. However, if Hrgovic causes an upset, the investigation into why may focus on Friday evening and why Moses exploded for no apparent reason.
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.
