Heavyweight veteran Dave Allen, who was stopped in three rounds by Filip Hrgovic earlier this month, believes the Croatian will find Moses Itauma too quick to handle when the pair meet in what is being targeted as an August 8 bout, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Allen, who experienced first-hand the power and quality of the 33-year-old Hrgovic when the Croatian headlined a Queensberry Promotions card in Doncaster, nevertheless backed the 21-year-old Itauma’s pace to be the difference-maker.
“I think Itauma might be too fast for him, just too fast. But you have to be a good one to beat him. He’s very good — better than I thought,” Allen said on his YouTube channel.
Itauma, widely regarded as Frank Warren’s prized heavyweight prospect, is coming off an emphatic fifth-round stoppage of the typically durable Jermaine Franklin in March.
His ability to explode into range from multiple angles has drawn considerable attention, though Hrgovic represents a step up from anything Itauma has faced.
The Croatian, whose only professional defeat came via an eighth-round stoppage on cuts against Daniel Dubois in 2024, re-signed with Warren’s Queensberry Promotions after expressing interest in joining Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing earlier this year. His return against Allen served as his first fight under the new arrangement.
While August 8 remains the likely target date for the contest, Hrgovic may prefer a later date, given the short turnaround from the Allen fight.
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