Johnny Nelson predicts outcome of Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic

Former British boxer Johnny Nelson has predicted the outcome of the IBF heavyweight world title fight between Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic.

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

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

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

Speaking to talkSPORT Boxing, Nelson, who once ruled the cruiserweight division, sided with Itauma.

“I’m going to go for a hard-fought win for Moses Itauma. He might have gone the distance, and if he goes the distance, he will have learnt so much about himself, but it’s going to be a hard-fought win, he’s going to work hard for that win,” Nelson said.

Hrgovic, 34, is a seasoned heavyweight with victories against the likes of Zhilei Zhang, Dave Allen and David Adeleye, but Itauma will be a tough test as he is prone to cuts and the Briton has fast hands and sharp punching ability.

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

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