There is huge anticipation surrounding the August 29 bout that will crown the new IBF heavyweight world champion. British prospect Moses Itauma and experienced Croatian Filip Hrgovic will battle it out for the coveted title, with Itauma the bookmakers’ favorite. Among the prominent trainers to have shared their thoughts on the matchup is Peter Fury, uncle of former world champion Tyson Fury and a highly respected trainer in his own right.
Speaking to Boxing Now, Peter Fury discussed Itauma and what we still do not know about the young prospect:
“If he [Itauma] comes through these type of fights, then we will see. He has got everything else, the only thing that we have not seen is when he has been put on the back-foot and put under pressure, because they [opponents] just haven’t been good enough.
“Is anybody good enough? There will be someone, won’t they? So, let’s see, but the future is very bright for him.”
Fury then turned his attention to the matchup between Itauma and Hrgovic, highlighting a weakness in the Croatian’s game that could prove decisive on August 29:
“I’m looking forward to the fight. Hrgovic is a good, solid fighter, but he does take a lot of punches, for me, he doesn’t seem to have the best defence and I think that could be a big problem with somebody like Itauma, to be honest.
“But, he is a tough man and he has been in boxing a long time. He looks awkward, as well, he is a big strong unit, so it is going to be interesting.”
Peter Fury has recently made headlines for training former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven ahead of his May fight against Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC heavyweight world title. Despite his massive lack of boxing experience, Rico proved to be an extremely competitive challenger, finally succumbing in the eleventh round with the scorecards still level.