Filip Hrgović Trashes 'Spoon Fed' Moses Itauma Ahead of Fight

By nature, boxing is a testament to overcoming adversity. What other sport can you walk into a competition with your opponent trying to concuss you as brutally as possible? Only a few.

Like most combat sports, it takes a large amount of resilience to even step in the ring. Despite being just 21 years old, Moses Itauma has seen his share of out-of-the-ring adversity. Yet, not every fighter shares the same respect for an opponent.

Filip Hrgović doesn't feel the same way. For him, the ability to win the IBF heavyweight title appears like a dream come true. The hard-hitting Itauma possesses immense power in his fists, capable of finishing a fight in the blink of an eye. Hrgovic realizes there could be a speed and power disparity, so he's decided to attack a potentially vulnerable part of his opponent even before the fight starts.

Filip Hrgovic | IMAGO / PRiME Media Images

Hrgovic gives blunt opinion on Itauma

Hrgovic, ever the cagey veteran, decided to go low, even for trash talk. The 34-year-old expressed his unvarnished opinion in an interview with ESPN.

"If you come from Great Britain, you get everything on a plate ... So, I'm not impressed. I'm impressed with my path more than him. I needed to do everything by myself. Why would I be impressed with Moses Itauma when I have a 10 times harder path? I'm not impressed with him."

First, Itauma was born in Kežmarok, Slovakia. As the biracial son of a Nigerian and a Slovak, Itauma frequently dealt with virulent racism before his family moved to the United Kingdom. An immigrant family doesn't really slide into a cushy environment. Plus, British boxing facilities don't have the reputation of being lavish or comfortable. Itauma is not a native Brit, and some of the same biases he endured in Slovakia mirrored those that happened in Great Britain.

Hrgovic thought the change of scenery somehow made Itauma soft in his dissection of the latter’s life, but that feels like a stretch given that Itauma has ended 12 of 14 fighters via knockouts.

"Imagine if Itauma stayed in Slovakia [his country of birth]. You wouldn't even hear of him. He would fight in some tournaments in Slovakia, and then he would sign with some s--- promoter. He would have some s--- manager. They wouldn't guide his career so well, so it's totally different."

Now, would this line of thinking apply to fellow heavyweight Agit Kabayel, whose parents left Turkey for Germany and now live in disadvantaged circumstances? Or does the fact that Itauma is a fellow Balkan fighter, like Hrgovic, who, at 21, has his entire career ahead of him, matter?

According to oddsmakers, Itauma is a favorite in the fight. Hrgovic will have the chance to back up his words or be forced to eat them this weekend.

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