Moses Itauma will fight for a maiden heavyweight world title when he faces Filip Hrgovic later this month.
Itauma meets Hrgovic at the O2 Arena on August 29 and the pair will now contest the vacant IBF heavyweight world title that Oleksandr Usyk relinquished earlier this year.
Shortly after the bout was confirmed, rising heavyweight star Itauma, who stopped Jermaine Franklin in five rounds in March, was ordered to fight Frank Sanchez for the IBF belt.
The unbeaten 21-year-old opted to proceed with his already announced bout with Hrgovic and his promoter, Frank Warren has revealed that Sanchez accepted step aside money to allow the pair to fight for the title.
According to the Queensberry boss, the Cuban will face the winner.
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“We paid [Sanchez] some money,” he told BBC Sport.
“We said whoever wins the fight, you’re not losing out and you’ll get the opportunity to fight for the title against the winner.”
Itauma will become Britain’s eighth active male world champion if he overcomes the experienced Croatian and the youngest heavyweight world champion since Mike Tyson at just 21-years-old.
Hrgovic has won three on the bounce since an eighth round stoppage defeat to Daniel Dubois in 2024.
The 34-year-old stopped Dave Allen in three rounds in May after beating fellow Britons Joe Joyce and David Adeleye on points.
Warren though has backed the precocious talent to become world champion at his first attempt.
“A lot of people have high expectations of him as I have, by the way,” he added.
“We signed him when he was 16. He was an amateur.
“We sponsored him and he turned professional with us.
“And he’s been amazing and sort of taken the world by storm.
“This is a big moment for him. But I’m confident he can do it.”
The winner can also set up a unification clash with one of the three other champions.
Agit Kabayel holds the WBC title, Murat Gassiev is the WBA titlist and Daniel Dubois owns the WBO strap.
A Dubois-Itauma showdown is a mouthwatering prospect, but the Brit will first rematch Fabio Wardley later this year.
