Moses Itauma Fires Back at 'Golden Child' Label Ahead of Filip Hrgovic Clash

Twenty-one-year-old Moses Itauma stares down the barrel of history. With a win on Saturday, he can become the youngest world heavyweight champion in British boxing history.

In front of a partisan crowd at the O2 Arena, the prodigy can also lay to rest a narrative. Just days before the title fight, Filip Hrgovic took the tactic of attacking Itauma by accusing him of being a privileged, spoiled fighter who was handed everything. In no uncertain terms, the veteran believes that the British standout was pampered on his way to superstardom.

Yet, Itauma decided not to ignore the assertions. Instead, he took Hrgovic to task. In his destruction of fighters like Jermaine Franklin, Itauma thinks highlight-reel knockouts should be the determining factor in gauging whether he is actually a legitimate fighter. Additionally, the young fighter's condition and training methods are the fires from which he is forged, not the lap of luxury.

Hrgovic presents the stiffest challenge of Ituma's career. At the same time, the banter, while used to troll and annoy, doesn't seem to outwardly annoy Itauma. With the fight just days away, he's ready to answer the criticism verbally and then step into the ring and settle the score between the ropes.

Itauma responds to Hrgovic

Itauma and Hrgovic share a background of sorts: both are from Balkan nations, where boxing isn't readily funded with the same passion as soccer or basketball. Yet, Hrgovic pushes the narrative that Itauma's path has been served on a silver platter. Itauma pushed back at the notion.

“I don’t get treated the way I am for no reason; there's obviously something about me that Queensberry pushes. And it’s not what I have done, but what I could do. And I feel like with every fight I have, I’m proving to them that I can do it; I am capable of what they think I’m capable of.”

“Have I been treated like a golden child? I wouldn’t say so, because it’s not for no reason.

While Hrgovic made his case on what he thinks is softer treatment that Itauma enjoys, the young boxer calls out what he sees as hypocrisy.

“He also had an Olympic medal, which obviously, they don’t just hand them out. With that Olympic medal, there came already a bit of a head start. Whereas there are certain guys that would have had to start from scratch. Small hall shows, probably even unlicensed and XYZ.

"Filip Hrgovic still started with a head start because of an Olympic medal, which he did achieve, which he did earn. But I wouldn’t say that he has had the toughest route to where he's got to. I think he was very fortunate to get the decision of Zhilei Zhang. Had he not got that decision, would he have got all the fights that he’s had now? Do you know what I mean?”

On Saturday, the words will stop, and the punches will fly. Which fighter will back up their words and humble the other?

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