On Saturday, August 29, 2026, a new king was crowned in the heavyweight division.
- Result: Hrgovic def. Itauma (TKO, 9)
- Significance: Itauma suffers the first defeat of his professional career; Hrgovic becomes the first Croatian fighter to win a heavyweight title.
On June 26, 2026, Oleksandr Usyk elected to relinquish all but one of his heavyweight titles. In a video posted to his Instagram account, he said, “Today is Friday, the weather is beautiful, and it is a good day to say that I want to vacate all the belts I currently hold.” He continued, “I want to make them available so the guys who want them and are next in line can fight for them.”
Approximately six weeks after Usyk elected to relinquish many of his world heavyweight titles as he entered the final chapter of his career, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) made an important decision of its own. On August 4, 2026, the IBF upgraded a heavyweight bout featuring Filip Hrgovic and Moses Itauama to a heavyweight title fight, adding more stakes to what was already a highly anticipated bout.
Itauma, the contender thought to be the future of the heavyweight division, was looking to surpass Muhammad Ali and Floyd Patterson as the second-youngest heavyweight champion. Meanwhile, Filip Hrgovic, once thought to be the boogeyman of the division, entered the bout as the grizzled veteran ready to look past defeat at the hands of Daniel Dubois and become the first heavyweight champion from Croatia.
Leading up to the heavyweight clash, Hrgovic wasted no time downplaying Itauma’s early career success, referring to him as “delusional.” Emotions boiled over on Friday as the two came to blows at the weigh-in, with Itauma pushing Hrgovic off the stage. Thankfully, people from both camps stepped in and prevented a potential scuffle.
On Saturday, August 29, 2026, there was no one to stop the action at O2 Arena when the two met in the ring. Itauma got off to an early lead, seemingly winning the first few rounds without breaking a sweat. However, as time went on, the young contender’s inexperience began to show. Itauma, who had previously never fought past the sixth round, appeared tired in rounds six and seven despite making a case for winning both. Then, in the eighth round, Hrgovic, tired yet still with gas left in the tank, pounced and hurt Itauma. However, Itauma pulled through and landed a few bombs of his own and got through to the ninth round. Still, it would not be enough, as Hrgovic kept coming forward in the ninth round and eventually forced Itauma’s corner to throw in the towel.
“He’s an amazing fighter. I want to thank him for accepting this fight and giving me a chance to become a new superstar in the heavyweight division,” Hrgovic said about his opponent after the fight. “I’m the present, and he’s definitely the future.”
Looking ahead, the IBF has mandated Hrgovic to defend his title against Frank Sanchez next. However, the newly crowned champ has other plans.
“Come on, man. What Frank Sanchez? I want unification,” he said. “I want Daniel Dubois in a unification if he wins his next fight. I want Agit Kabayel. I want unification. Frank Sanchez will wait. He’ll get another step-aside. He’ll make money without fighting, and everyone will be happy.”
