Hrgovic calls Itauma schoolboy during face-off

Croatian boxer Filip Hrgovic has said that he will "send Moses Itauma back to high school" when they compete for the vacant IBF heavyweight world title.

Itauma will face Hrgovic on Saturday 29th August at the O2 Arena in London.

Itauma, 21, is bidding to become the second-youngest heavyweight world champion in history after Mike Tyson, who was the youngest.

Hrgovic, 34, has been involved in continuous trash talk, calling Itauma a “kid” in the build-up, prompting the Briton to admit the taunts were starting to wind him up.

However, Itauma at Thursday’s news conference called them unimportant.

"At the end of the day, talk is cheap. It's schoolboy banter," he said.

An Olympic bronze medallist with a well-documented record, Hrgovic has only one pro defeat, which came against Daniel Dubois in 2024.

He downplayed suggestions he was trying to play "mind games".

"I just tell you what I think. I think he's a kid, he's not mature enough. I think I'm the man. I'm a much better age, much more experienced. That's it," he said.

"I will smash the kid on Saturday and I'll send him back to high school."

Itauma has a record of 14-0 with 12 of his wins coming by stoppage and is known for his devastating speed, power and timing.

"The perfect performance will be to go a couple of rounds and close the job," he said. "Same script, different story."

But Hrgovic laughed off the suggestion.

"We'll see, man. No-one ever knocked me out any time in my life," he said. "I only got stopped by Dubois because of cuts and I was in terrible shape because of sickness."

The pair shared an intense face-off before Itauma left the stage.