Boxing Picks 2026- Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic (Saturday 29th August)

As fans continue to be frustrated at hearing the back and forth regarding the potential Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua bout, the attention should really move past two Heavyweights who have had stellar careers, but whose best days are now behind them.

Instead, fight fans should be very excited to see if Moses Itauma can move from potential to prospect to contender and now to World Champion.

There has long been an excitement around the young British Heavyweight and the fracture of the World Titles has given Moses Itauma a big opportunity to pick up a World Title.

If he can do that, Queensberry are almost certainly going to begin the long build to a monster Stadium showdown between Daniel Dubois and Moses Itauma with the former already holding a World Title and both under the same promotional banner.

However, before we begin to think about, Moses Itauma has a big night in front of him and that is the leading fight of this weekend.

There is also a very decent main event run by MVP, who are heavily promoting the female side of the sport, and both Mikaela Mayer and Chantelle Cameron are amongst the best on this side of the sport.

It should be an interesting card using the Britain vs USA angle and the hope is that the timings will mean the main events are not clashing on Saturday night.

Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic

The Heavyweight Division is not as deep as some would hope and that does make it tough to determine the speed in which any prospect should be pushed forward.

Some have found the leaps too much between domestic level into world level (Jared Anderson is a case in point of recent times), but others have managed to do that and put together solid careers (Anthony Joshua).

One criticism of the AJ career is that he was having to learn on the job having become a World Champion before he was able to iron out the creases in his skills. That is a potential fear for Moses Itauma, but it is very difficult to slow down the progress when someone has been shining as much as the youngster has been.

Wins over Dillian Whyte and Jermaine Franklin Jr look solid on paper, but the former is nowhere near his best, while the latter gave Rounds to Whyte and Anthony Joshua a few years and has never kicked on from that.

Finishing both in the manner he did will have given Moses Itauma's fans a huge amount of confidence in their man, but there is no doubting that this World Title bout is against someone who will be coming in with a lot more belief than anyone Itauma has faced before.

Filip Hrgovic has perhaps flattered to deceive at the very highest level and that makes it difficult believe in him as much as he may believe in himself.

Wins over Joe Joyce, David Adeleye and Dave Allen has pushed Filip Hrgovic into this opportunity, but none of those are all that impressive and this is a big step up for him. It is certainly the biggest test since Hrgovic was beaten by Daniel Dubois in June 2024 and the worry is that the big Croatian is not going to be able to get away with those moments when he looks to take a rest within Rounds.

A bigger concern is that Filip Hrgovic is a fighter that is confident stopping punches with his face and eventually that chin is not going to be able to stand up to big shots as Joe Joyce would tell anyone.

This also brings cuts back into play, which is way Daniel Dubois forced the Stoppage against Filip Hrgovic, and the sharpness and speed of Moses Itauma should see him break down his man.

Durability is something Hrgovic can lean upon, but there is so many times you can take clean shots from big punchers and El Animal may not be able to push Moses Itauma as deep into this bout as perhaps some believe.

A mid-fight Stoppage looks most likely once Moses Itauma racks up the big shots on Filip Hrgovic and a new British headliner will be able to step into the full limelight.

It may not be the depth of undercard fans have been spoiled with in recent times, but there is a solid support to the main event in London.

Constantin Ursu is going to be defending his British Welterweight Title and he can do enough to beat Ben Vaughan, although the manner of the victory is much more difficult to determine.

There are also a number of Heavyweight fights on the undercard and 41 year old, unbeaten Albanian Nelson Hysa may be set to face one of the top British names if he can get through his bout.

He is up against an unbeaten opponent and both Hysa and Thomas Narmo have plenty of Stoppages on the record, but the older fighter may have more experience at a higher level and he can come through a firefight.

Sam Noakes improved his stock in a losing effort last year and he is another who can go through the gears and ensure a finish against veteran Denys Berinchyk who is returning after an eighteen month absence.

The MVP card is a potentially entertaining one, but the main event looks tough to call and the undercard is filled with contests that are likely to be decided on the cards, which is what the layers are going to be guarding against.

Instead, in the early hours of Sunday morning, Lester Martinez can show what he has been learning from sparring with Bud Crawford as he looks to become a World Champion in the Super Middleweight Division.

His stock has risen after a controversial draw with Christian Mbilii, who is going on to fight Canelo Alvarez, and Luka Plantic is stepping up a couple of levels.

Fighting out of the southpaw stance will make Plantic awkward, but Lester Martinez will have the time he needs to force a Stoppage as he moves through the gears.

MY PICKS: Moses Itauma Win Between 5-8 @ 3.10 William Hill (1 Unit)

Nelson Hysa Win Between 1-5 @ 2.00 Coral (2 Units)

Sam Noakes to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 1.91 Coral (2 Units)

Lester Martinez to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 2.30 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Boxing 2026: 22-40, - 15.36 Units (97 Units Staked, - 15.84% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2026- George Liddard vs Tyler Denny (Saturday 21st March)

More announcements are expected in relation to cards through to the middle of the 2026 season, but we are in the midst of a good run of Boxing nights.

There are intriguing fights scheduled for this weekend and we should begin to get some idea as to who is going to be the leading name in the Middleweight Division, which has been one that has been lacking a clear number one fighter for a while.

Next week we begin a run featuring the British Heavyweights who will be vying for World Titles and it remains a very good time to be a Boxing fan.

For those in the United Kingdom, the news that Zuffa Boxing have signed a deal with Sky Sports is intriguing, especially as it was stated they want to host five nights a year in the country.

Matchroom and Queensberry Promotions have to be a little concerned about that entire deal with fighters already intrigued by the idea of joining Zuffa and the strong backing of Turki Alalshikh.

This is certainly something that will be in the headlines going forward, while the place of Boxxer feels like it is behind the new kids on the block and it may actually work for Ben Shalom.

George Liddard vs Tyler Denny

With the right steps, George Liddard could be moving towards a World Title shot within the next eighteen months.

As mentioned, the top of the Middleweight Rankings feels pretty open at the moment and this is the next stage of the development of the unbeaten 23 year old.

George Liddard picked up the British Middleweight Title with a Stoppage win over Kieron Conway and he is given the chance to defend against another veteran.

Tyler Denny won't want to think of himself as a gatekeeper, but a strong run of form was ended emphatically by Hamzah Sheeraz and the 34 year old has won a couple of fights since then. He is capable of producing an upset, as he has done against the likes of Felix Cash, but you have to question how much is left in the tank eleven years after making his debut.

This does feel like a showcase fight for George Liddard who became the first fighter to Stop Kieron Conway last time out.

Nothing will come easy against a veteran like Tyler Denny, but George Liddard may have a gear or two that can overwhelm him and he can earn a Stoppage.

On the undercard, Jimmy Sains is expected to retain his English Middleweight Title, but he may not be able to add to the ten Stoppages produced in eleven previous wins against a tough, grizzled opponent.

Giorgio Visioli is also expected to retain his English Title, but he may have to settle for another victory on the cards when taking on Levi Giles.

There is also an important card run by Matchroom over in the United States this Saturday.

Carlos Adames versus Ammo Williams was supposed to have taken place on the big Teofimo Lopez-Shakur Stevenson card at the end of January, but the former had to withdraw on the eve of the contest.

Eddie Hearn promised Williams he would rearrange the fight as soon as possible and the Challenger had a comfortable Ten Round win on the night against a replacement.

Four wins in a row since losing to Hamzah Sheeraz have pushed Ammo Williams into this World Title shot, but Carlos Adames is a tough out.

The WBC Champion should have been given the nod when on the end of a Split Decision draw against the aforementioned Sheeraz, but Carlos Adames has been out of the ring for thirteen months.

That is a potential issue, but Adames has been on a good run since his lose career defeat and the feeling in January was that he would have too much power for this opponent.

He may need a bit of time to just shake off any ring rust, but Carlos Adames can go through the gears and push for a late Stoppage.

The last time Lester Martinez was in action, he did himself proud and enhanced his reputation.

One frustration was that an interim WBC Super Middleweight Title was allowed to be contested in a Ten Rounder rather than a Twelve Rounder as expected.

His team felt Martinez was well on the way to upsetting Christian Mbili, but the unbeaten fighter can make up for lost time by picking up the same strap on Saturday.

Immanuwel Aleem has shown some toughness, but he will have rarely faced someone who is as relentless and powerful as Lester Martinez and this may be a one-sided contest.

MY PICKS: George Liddard to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 1.72 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Carlos Adames to Win Between 7-12 @ 4.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Lester Martinez to Win Between 1-6 @ 3.25 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Boxing 2026: 7-12, - 5.97 Units (33 Units Staked, - 18.09% Yield)