MOSES ITAUMA AND FILIP HRGOVIC TO FIGHT FOR VACANT IBF TITLE, FRANK SANCHEZ PAID TO STEP ASIDE

Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic square up on June 22, 2026

Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic, set to collide on August 29 at London, England’s O2 Arena, will now be fighting for the vacant IBF heavyweight title.

No. 3-ranked Itauma, 14-0 (12 KOs), had been ordered by the sanctioning body to face leading IBF contender, Frank Sanchez, after the bout with Hrgovic had already been signed and announced. And with the Croatian rated fourth by the organization, it has been agreed that they can instead do battle for the belt on the condition that the winner meets Sanchez in their first defense.

“We paid [Sanchez] some money,” promoter Frank Warren told the BBC. “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.”

The 34-year-old Cuban, 26-1 (19 KOs), had achieved mandatory status with the IBF by knocking out Richard Torrez Jnr in two rounds in May.

Hrgovic, 20-1 (15 KOs), is riding a three-fight win streak – beating Joe Joyce, David Adeleye and Dave Allen – and is regarded as 21-year-old Itauma’s toughest test to date.

Presuming Itauma-Hrgovic isn’t a draw, it means that Warren’s Queensberry Promotions – who handle both Itauma and Hrgovic, as well as WBC boss Agit Kabayel and WBO beltholder Daniel Dubois – will promote three of the four heavyweight beltholders come the end of the month. The WBA titlist, Murat Gassiev, had previously been expected to face Itauma later in the year.

"A lot of people have high expectations of [Itauma] as I have, by the way," Warren said. "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.”

The influx of heavyweight beltholders can of course be explained by Oleksandr Usyk’s decision to relinquish his three titles in June. Though the 39-year-old is plotting one last fight – likely against Deontay Wilder – the Ukrainian’s days of fighting elite opposition are over, it seems.

Kabayel and Gassiev saw their statuses rise by virtue of Usyk’s decision to step down. Dubois defeated Fabio Wardley to claim his belt after Wardley was handed the championship when Usyk gave up the WBO title last year.

The winner of Itauma-Hrgovic will be the first to claim one of Usyk’s old belts in the ring.

- BoxingScene 

JARRELL MILLER DEFIES LOGIC WITH 1003 PUNCHES AT 305 POUNDS

Matchroom Boxing 

Jarrell Miller weighed 305 pounds on fight night — and then threw a staggering 1003 punches across twelve rounds in a unanimous decision victory over Lenier Pero in Las Vegas.

That number alone would stand out in any division. At heavyweight, and from a fighter carrying that kind of size, it borders on the absurd.

Miller’s relentless output helped him grind down the previously unbeaten Pero over twelve rounds at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, earning scorecards of 115-113, 117-111, and 117-111.

Miller overwhelms Pero

Lenier Pero entered the bout as a rising contender with a perfect record and a reputation for composure, but Miller’s approach quickly turned the fight into a test of endurance rather than control.

Throwing at a pace rarely seen from a heavyweight, Miller forced exchanges and maintained pressure throughout, refusing to allow Pero to settle into any sustained rhythm over the course of the contest.

The Cuban showed flashes of his ability in stretches as the pair traded leather continually, but the volume and consistency from Miller ultimately defined the outcome, particularly as the rounds began to add up.

By the final bell, the difference was clear enough on the cards, even if Pero remained competitive in patches despite Miller controlling the rounds.

Matchroom Boxing 

1003 punches at 305 pounds

Miller’s punch output became the story of the fight as the rounds progressed, with the American surpassing the 1000 mark across the championship distance despite tipping the scales at 305 pounds. He landed with 29% of those blows.

Heavyweights are not built to operate at that level of activity, especially not at that size, which made the numbers even more striking once they were confirmed.

It was not just about quantity either, as the sustained pressure forced Pero into a fight he could never fully dictate.

The numbers will also invite scrutiny, with Miller having previously served a near four-year suspension for performance-enhancing drug violations.

A Dangerous Jarrell Miller

Miller scaled 12 pounds lighter than his victory over Kingsley Ibeh, the infamous “toupee fight,” and was in the kind of shape he showed in his credible draw with former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr.

Apart from some bumps in the road eighteen months after his return from a three-and-a-half-year absence, Miller has built a solid résumé and could yet capitalize with a belated world title shot.

His last attempt at a major belt sparked massive controversy when Miller tested positive for multiple banned substances, which saw his challenge against Anthony Joshua fall apart in the first half of 2019.

Since then, Miller has looked a danger to certain heavyweights without having the same explosive power he showed earlier in his career, but his output alone still makes “Big Baby” a handful for anyone in the division.

Promoter Eddie Hearn believes a fight with Deontay Wilder could excite fans, while the New Yorker also has Murat Gassiev in his sights for a shot at a secondary WBA title, which may prove to be his most realistic route back into world title contention.

At 305 pounds and throwing over 1000 punches, Miller isn’t supposed to work like this — which is exactly why he’s still a problem.

Miller vs Pero Undercard Results

Chaves delivers knockout moment

Matchroom Boxing 

Earlier on the card, Alan Chaves produced a knockout-of-the-year contender with a single shot finish of Miguel Madueno in the third round.

The bout ended at 1:26 of round three, with Chaves extending his unbeaten record to 21-0 in emphatic fashion on his Matchroom debut.

The sudden ending stood in complete contrast to the main event, providing the kind of moment that prompts his promoter Eddie Hearn to declare a new superstar in the making.

Damian Sosa defeated previously unbeaten Freudis Rojas via unanimous decision over ten rounds, with Rojas suffering a knockdown in the sixth.

Nishant Dev continued his rise with a second-round stoppage of Juan Carlos Guerra Jr, who was dropped before the finish.

Angel Barrientes earned an eight-round unanimous decision victory over Luis Espinoza, while Phillip Vella also secured a points win against Edwin Rodriguez.

- Phil Jay