Do you like your heavyweights young, hungry and hard-hitting?
If the answer is yes, then listen up: I’ve got some good news for you this weekend.
After just 14 fights and 31 rounds as a professional boxer, 21-year-old Moses Itauma is about to attempt becoming the second-youngest heavyweight champion in history this Saturday, after Mike Tyson. The man in the opposite corner? Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic.
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The vacant IBF heavyweight crown is on the line inside London’s O2 Arena and, for Itauma, a slice of heavyweight history looms large.
But that’s not all this weekend. Let’s take a closer look at the best boxing has to offer.
1. Itauma fights for history as a huge betting favourite
After exploding onto the scene in early 2023, it was widely considered a case of “when” rather than “if” Moses Itauma (14-0, 12 KOs) was going to reach the summit of the heavyweight division.
Eleven of his 14 wins have come inside the opening six minutes, with his unique blend of speed, power and precision bludgeoning a thankless row of heavyweight victims.
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There can be no doubt that Filip Hrgovic (20-1, 15 KOs) — a former amateur standout who won bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games — is Itauma’s staunchest test to date, but there is a growing consensus in boxing circles that it’s going to take a little bit more than a solid B+ heavyweight like “El Animal” to get the better of the young Briton.
We’re not talking about a flash in the pan with Itauma. No churn and burn, catch and release of heavyweight hardware. If the 21-year-old is successful on Saturday, then we could be entering the age of Itauma dominance, in a division that is crying out for a new king.
But hey, heavyweight boxing is the most unpredictable of all the divisions. We have yet to see the young prodigy react to getting hit flush on the button — one of the last check boxes for Itauma to address.
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I was out for dinner with a friend in London’s trendy Kings Cross last week, and we saw Itauma casually strolling around with a couple of friends, grabbing a pizza, without a soul bothering him.
My friend knows her boxing, too. But not Itauma. Yet. This is the weekend that should change. So where better to watch the breakout of the next heavyweight superstar? That’s right: behind a DAZN paywall. (Sighs.)
2. Cameron vs. Mayer headlines MVPW-06 in an excellent champ vs. champ matchup
Boy, what a main event we have in store on Saturday night in Birmingham, as pound-for-pound stars Chantelle Cameron (22-1, 8 KOs) and Mikaela Mayer (22-2, 5 KOs) meet for three of the four world titles at super welterweight.
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Mayer has called this fight “the biggest women’s fight of the year,” and it’s hard to argue with the 36-year-old American, who’s attempting to string together a fourth consecutive win of an impressive run up in the more natural and powerful weight classes for her frame.
Cameron’s sole professional loss came in a 2023 rematch against Katie Taylor — she’s in good company! — and she’s now made the leap up to 154 pounds after struggling to land a significant or lucrative fight as a 140-pounder.
This fight makes a hell of a lot of sense, especially in front of a UK crowd that gives Mayer the chance to further grow her fan base on this side of the pond. The bookmakers are finding them hard to split, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the crowd struggles similarly inside the BP Pulse Live Arena.
That’s a lot of hardware.
(Nick Potts – PA Images via Getty Images)
3. Martinez meets Plantic head-on in ProBox TV thriller
This may not be the 50-50 fight that ProBox TV likes to hang their hats on, but nobody inside California’s USC Galan Center would be surprised if Saturday night’s headliner turns into a memorable barnburner.
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Lester Martinez (20-0-1, 16 KOs) owns the interim WBC title at super middleweight and heads into this title defense against Luka Plantic (13-0, 10 KOs) knowing that BIG opportunities may present themselves on the other side of a victory.
After all, they don’t get too much bigger than Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who fights Christian Mbilli in late October for the full WBC title.
Plantic, like Martinez, is known for his power and heavy artillery, and with Joel Diaz in his corner, he can’t be ruled out in what could quickly turn into a firefight.
4. “Sweet Caroline” defends her lightweight crowns
Ameila Moore (4-0, 1 KOs) is one of the nicest, most impressive and most intelligent fighters I have ever encountered.
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Now, I get it: not all of these qualities will come in particular handy this weekend as she challenges Caroline Dubois (13-0-1, 5 KOs) for the WBC and WBO titles at lightweight, but sometimes in life you have to give someone their flowers.
Dubois, younger sister to WBO heavyweight champion Daniel, is a star in her own right and is building an impressive record in the pros.
She made the brave call to depart from Shane McGuigan’s gym, instead teaming up with Manny Robles — the renowned trainer of Andy Ruiz Jr, Oscar Valdez and Brandon Figueroa — in a quest to squeeze more juice from the fruits of her labor.
Big fights await at 135 pounds, and with more charisma and willingness to #chatsmack than big brother Daniel, the United States could prove the perfect landing spot for “Sweet Caroline.”
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She’s a huge betting favorite against Moore in this MVPW-06 undercard fight and she’ll be keen to showcase what she’s learned in her short time in Miami.
Caroline Dubois (left) appears to have all the makings of a future pound-for-pound star.
(Nick Potts – PA Images via Getty Images)
5. Lara is back!
Mauricio Lara’s career burned fast and bright a few years ago.
A big upset win over Josh Warrington in his United Kingdom debut saw him catapulted into a rematch, before back-to-back featherweight world title fights against Leigh Wood.
Then he failed to make weight in the rematch, dropped the title and subsequently failed a drug test for the banned substance betamethasone, receiving a backdated two-year ban by UKAD.
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But that hasn’t stopped the 27-year-old “El Bronco” — now 30-3-2 (23 KOs) — from flying through a who’s who of Mexican club fighters in the interim. That run continues this weekend with 31-year-old Carlos Ornelas (29-5, 16 KOs) next off the conveyor belt.
Lara has plenty of time on his side. And despite his curious career, don’t rule out a future run at a super featherweight title.
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