Moses Itauma takes on Filip Hrgovic for the IBF heavyweight title on Saturday night and our boxing expert Chris Oliver previews the action with his best bets.
Boxing betting tips: Saturday August 29
1pt Moses Itauma to win in rounds 7-12 at 11/4 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betway)
1pt Chantelle Cameron to win by decision at 7/2 (Sky Bet)
The exciting Moses Itauma looks ready for his crowning glory when he takes on Filip Hrgovic for the IBF heavyweight title at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday night, live on DAZN PPV.
With a perfect 14-fight record (12 KOs), Itauma is arguably the best prospect in world boxing right now and the sensational 21-year-old would be the second youngest world heavyweight champion in history if he is victorious this weekend.
This wasn’t for a title when the fight was first signed, but then Oleksandr Usyk relinquished all his belts and the number one ranked fighter with the IBF, Frank Sanchez, was paid step aside money to allow Itauma and Hrgovic to battle for the vacant strap.
Usually, when a hot prospect gets a first title shot, it is against a carefully selected opponent who is very beatable to allow the younger fighter to enjoy a breakout moment. However, Itauma doesn’t get that luxury and Hrgovic represents a very serious test.
Despite his odds of 1/7, Itauma is in a real fight here and the prices don’t reflect the threat posed by Hrgovic, who is as big as 7/1.
The latter is an Olympic bronze medallist who has only lost once as a professional in 21 outings (15 KOs) and has rebounded from that loss with three good wins.
His two victories last year, unanimous decision verdicts over Joe Joyce and David Adeleye, are better wins than anything on Itauma’s record and the 34-year-old brings a wealth of experience to the table.
However, it's not about who Itauma has beaten, it’s about how good he has looked in his rapid ascent up the heavyweight rankings, and his devastating power has attracted plenty of attention.
After going the six-round distance in back-to-back fights in 2023, the Chatham resident knocked out his next nine opponents inside the first two rounds, including former world title challengers Mariusz Wach and Dillian Whyte. After a two-minute pummelling of the latter, Itauma faced the durable Jermaine Franklin, who had gone the distance with Whyte and Anothony Joshua, and the Brit got rid of him in the fifth round.
It was a one-sided affair up to that point and it was hard not to be impressed with the way Itauma dispatched his man with a picture-perfect uppercut that night.
The southpaw moves like a middleweight, and it is his lightning speed that has set him apart from his foes so far. He throws a lovely jab from the hip, which is hard to read, and he utilises feints very effectively, while his accuracy and variety are also top class.
We’re yet to see how he reacts when cracked on the chin, what he is like when pushed backwards and if he is as effective when taken deep into a fight. Hrgovic is capable of asking those questions and we could get our answers on Saturday.
Hrgovic is the bigger man by two inches at 6’6” and uses his height well, throwing good straight punches and making the most of a good jab. The Croat is the first world-class opponent the favourite has faced and probably the first man who genuinely thinks he is going to beat Itauma.
He takes a shot very well and will throw back when tagged, just as he did when on the receiving ends of bombs from Daniel Dubois and Zhilei Zhang.
In fact, Dubois is the only man to beat him and that was due to cuts, so Hrgovic has never been stopped properly and has the durability to take Itauma past six rounds for the first time.
However, those cuts could be an issue again. His eye has opened up in each of his last four fights now and the speed with which Itauma unleashes his shots suggests we could see Croatian claret again here.
Another negative for Hrgovic is his work rate, as he can look great in spurts but doesn’t have the gas tank to keep it up and his output drops for periods during fights.
A further positive for Itauma is how Hrgovic has fared against the last two southpaws he has faced. He was taken to the 12th round by Demsey McKean, who was later blasted out in a round by Itauma, and Hrgovic was very lucky to escape with a decision against fellow portsider Zhang.
The Zhang and Dubois performances look better now with hindsight, but Hrgovic has shown vulnerability when put under constant pressure and he can expect more of that this weekend.
It is just 1/3 that Itauma gets rid of him inside the distance and that is very short, even for someone as promising as him. However, Hrgovic isn’t hard to hit, and I do expect Itauma to claim a famous victory inside the distance, but the round group betting represents better value.
Itauma doesn’t feel his opponents out and will start fast again, so a quick win is possible and the favourite to win in rounds 1-6 is just 11/10. However, Hrgovic has the chin, experience and durability to take this deep, and I prefer the 11/4 about Itauma winning in the second half of the fight.
Hrgovic’s tendency to cut up is a big worry for the underdog and his straight-up, European style could be made for Itauma, who is fancied to break his man down gradually before gaining lift-off on his career with a stoppage after halfway.
Chantelle Cameron v Mikaela Mayer
Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions continue their takeover of women’s boxing with a Sky Sports-televised show from Birmingham, topped by a cracking main event.
Chantelle Cameron (22-1, 8 KOs) versus Mikaela Mayer (22-2, 5 KOs) is one of the best fights that can be made in women’s boxing right and their super welterweight unification bout looks sure be an exciting one.
Both have been champions in lower weights and although this is for three belts at 154lbs, a catch weight of 148lbs has been agreed and that is good news for Cameron, who captured the WBO super welterweight crown with a lopsided points win over Michaela Kotaskova in April.
Still the only person to have beaten Katie Taylor, Cameron has been searching for another big fight since losing her rematch with the Irish legend in late 2023 and she finally gets that now. The Northampton native has won four in a row since, all by decision, and we should see the best of the former undisputed super lightweight ruler here.
Likewise, from Mayer, whose two defeats were both controversial and on British soil. Her points losses to Alycia Baumgardner (2022) at super featherweight and Natasha Jonas (2024) at welterweight were both very close fights that could have gone either way, yet Mayer didn’t get the verdict on either occasion.
However, she bounced back with two big wins over Sandy Ryan and then recorded an easy points win over Mary Spencer on her super welterweight debut in October.
Given these are two of the best women in the sport and the fact that Cameron has home advantage, it’s a surprise to see her as big as 2/1 and Mayer a best price of 8/15.
Yes, Mayer could very well justify those odds, given how she has improved since moving up in weight and she looks better than ever now. If she gets off to a good start, then she could be hard to deny.
However, slow starts have cost her in her two defeats to date and, if she is slow out of the blocks again, she may struggle to claw it back.
Cameron is very busy, with a high output and a heavy jab. She likes to apply constant pressure and, with Mayer unlikely to take a backwards step, this should catch fire from the get-go.
Their last 21 fights combined have all gone the full 10 rounds and this one looks sure to go the distance too, which is reflected in odds of 1/6 about us hearing the final bell. With that in mind, the 7/2 about Cameron winning a decision is too big to pass up in what I see as a genuine 50-50 bout.
Mayer is naturally the bigger woman and that could be a factor, but Cameron has the longer reach, and her relentless approach could just catch the eye of the judges in this sprint format of 10 two-minute rounds.
She is back with trainer Jamie Moore, who has got the best out of Cameron in the past, and this smart all-rounder is arguably the best opponent Mayer has faced in her career.
As was the case when I successfully tipped Cameron to beat Taylor, her price to win by decision is too big to overlook and she is the value call in what seems certain to be a tremendous tussle.
Posted at 12:35 BST on 28/07/26
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