Heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic, 18-1(14) will have his own business to attend to this coming Saturday (Aug. 16) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when he squares off with David Adeleye, 14-1(13). But the Croatian is still more than a little bit interested in how Saturday night’s main event will go, this between heavyweight sensation Moses Itauma and veteran slugger Dillian Whyte.
And Hrgovic, who spoke with The Ring, told us not to be too shocked if Whyte, at age 37 and closing in, we think, on the end of his career, causes the upset and defeats the 20-year-old southpaw. Hrgovic says he’s not too sure what kind of shape Whyte will be in for the fight (reports say Whyte has pushed himself mighty hard in training camp, for this, possibly his last shot at the big-time) – but he says Whyte is “always tough.”
Can Whyte drag Itauma into deep waters?
“Dillian Whyte hasn’t fought for a long time and I don’t know what shape he will come in at, but he’s always tough,” Hrgovic said. “He’s brave and he’s a big, tough guy. Moses is much faster and is a better fighter, but I think Dillian Whyte will give him a good test. Can he win? Why not? I think if he endures the first few rounds and doesn’t get caught he can put him in deep water. He’s much more experienced and went through a lot in his career, but the question is – what kind of shape is he in? If he comes in great shape, like he used to be in some fights, he can win.”
It’s something plenty of people agree on: if Whyte can get through the early rounds, say the first three or four, then maybe he can make things hot and heavy for Itauma; a fighter who, by his own admission, is badly in need of rounds and experience.
Or will Itauma’s power shut the door early?
But here’s the thing – Itauma hits so hard and so accurately, he could blast a slow-starting (he was never too fast, even in his prime) Whyte out before the fight really gets a chance to get going. Then again, as Hrgovic also said, we don’t know how well Itauma will handle a big punch should his chin have to take one.
All in all, it’s a good, interesting card we have to look forward to on Saturday, with Itauma-Whyte and Hrgovic-Adeleye possibly being back-and-forth battles that test all four heavyweights.
