British heavyweight Moses Itauma will return to action on 29 August to face Filip Hrgovic at London’s O2 Arena.
Itauma claimed an impressive win over Jermaine Franklin in March to stretch his unbeaten record to 14-0 and retain the WBA International and WBO Inter-Continental titles.
That has earned the 21-year-old his first headline fight against Hrgovic, who won bronze for Croatia at the 2016 Olympics and now has a 21-1 professional record.
“This fight is the litmus test Moses is ready for and it is the one he wanted,” said promoter Frank Warren.
Hrgovic stopped Dave Allen in Doncaster last month and the 34-year-old then called for southpaw Itauma.
He and Hrgovic are first and second in the WBO rankings, respectively, and the winner at the O2 is set to be first in line for a shot at Daniel Dubois’ WBO belt.
Hrgovic’s only defeat came against Dubois in June 2024 and he has since beaten three British fighters – Joe Joyce, David Adeleye and Allen.
The world of influencer boxing takes another surreal turn on Saturday when former World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall faces reality television star and professional boxer Tommy Fury in Manchester.
The heavyweight contest at the AO Arena is understood to be an exhibition bout, meaning it will not count towards either fighter’s professional boxing record.
It is scheduled for six two-minute rounds, bringing together two Britons from entirely different worlds.
The event is promoted by Misfits and is the latest example of a boxing show that increasingly blurs the lines between professional sport, entertainment and social media celebrity.
Fury’s professional resume includes high-profile victories over influencers-turned-boxers KSI and Jake Paul.
He insists his ambitions remain tethered to world-title aspirations. In reality, however, the 27-year-old has cemented himself as the poster boy for the influencer boxing boom.
Hall, 38, headlined what was billed as ‘The Heaviest Boxing Match in History’ in 2022 against rival Hafthor ‘Thor’ Bjornsson.
After losing to the Icelander in the exhibition bout, Hall transitioned into MMA and scored a knockout victory over fellow former strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski last year.
The undercard perhaps best illustrates the unusual crossroads at which modern boxing now finds itself.
Sharing the bill is social media personality ‘The Ibiza Final Boss’, real name Jack Kay, who became an internet sensation in 2025 after videos of his confident dancing, distinctive bowl haircut and gold-chain-wearing persona went viral on TikTok.
Also appearing on the card is two-time Olympic taekwondo gold medallist Jade Jones.
The Pyramids of Giza loomed over a purpose-built open-air arena for one of boxing’s most unusual world title fights in recent memory.
A kickboxing heavyweight legend who ruled his sport for more than 4,000 days, Verhoeven sprinted to the ring at around 01:10 local time, flanked by performers dressed as Egyptian pharaohs, before Usyk emerged in a gladiator-style outfit complete with a golden helmet.
Verhoeven, who insisted his unpredictability could trouble Usyk, made a lively start with constant movement and energy, landing a solid right hand to the body.
Usyk responded with a sharp double uppercut in the second, but Verhoeven absorbed it well and fired back with two right hands of his own.
Boxing royalty including Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, Terence Crawford, Gennady Golovkin and Anthony Joshua watched on from ringside, alongside Hollywood star Jason Statham – the man credited with helping to bring the fight together.
Another right hand from Verhoeven landed flush on Usyk in the third round.
Usyk – so often the sport’s master of patience – was forced to dig deep. He briefly responded in the fourth, hurting Verhoeven with a straight right and stinging left.
“Get back to your boxing, you’re getting too greedy, trying to land and getting caught,” Verhoeven’s trainer Peter Fury warned his man.
Verhoeven entered the sixth round for the first time in his fighting career – kickboxing bouts are capped at five rounds, and his only previous professional boxing fight ended inside two.
He stuck to the trainer’s instruction and a lethargic Usyk was rocked again in the eighth by a right hand, but the champion came alive in the 10th and 11th, unleashing a flurry of punches and repeatedly finding the uppercut – the shot that had given him his most success all night.
Verhoeven spat out his gumshield while Usyk immediately protested at the added time his opponent was given to recover.
Usyk surged again and sensed the finish. Verhoeven was visibly hurt and a stoppage may have come in the 12th round had the fight continued.
Arguably, Verhoeven should have been allowed the chance to see it through.
Instead, the referee stepped in and waved off what will go down as a contentious stoppage.
Daniel Dubois recovered from two knockdowns to win a second world heavyweight title with a stoppage of Fabio Wardley.
Published On 10 May 202610 May 2026
Daniel Dubois came back from two knockdowns to deal Fabio Wardley a brutal and bloody first defeat as a professional and take the WBO heavyweight title in a thunderous all-British clash in Manchester, United Kingdom.
Referee Howard Foster finally stepped in at the start of the 11th round to signal the end of the fight at the Co-Op Live Arena on Saturday. Wardley was bleeding heavily from the bridge of the nose, with his right eye almost closed .
Dubois rose twice from the canvas, including being dropped by a right hook in the first 10 seconds of the fight, to pulverise Wardley and become a world heavyweight champion for the second time in his career.
“It was a war. We came through the sticky moments. Thank you Fabio for that,” said Dubois, who was previously IBF champion after the belt was vacated by Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, with the Ukrainian winning it back in July 2025.
“What a great fight. What a great battle, man”.
Wardley was left with a bloody nose by Dubois [Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters]
The win was Dubois’s 23rd as a professional in 26 fights while Wardley now has a 20-1-1 record.
Veteran promoter Frank Warren, who manages both men, said it was the best heavyweight fight he had ever put on and confirmed there was a rematch clause in the contract.
For some viewers, however, it was also an uncomfortable watch that could have been stopped earlier.
The 31-year-old Wardley, who was promoted to WBO champion last November after Usyk vacated the title, was making his first defence and showed immense heart as he took a tremendous beating yet refused to capitulate.
He had his opponent on the floor, a blow Dubois, 28, later dismissed as a ‘flash knockdown’, almost with the opening bell still sounding.
Dubois was back on one knee in round three but came close to a stoppage in the sixth with the reigning champion bleeding heavily and on the ropes.
The Londoner continued to land blow after blow on Wardley, who wobbled but refused to give up.
His corner inspected the facial wounds after the eighth and doctors and the referee took a look in rounds nine and 10 but still the fight continued, with Wardley increasingly struggling to stay on his feet and fighting on instinct.
“You witnessed something special tonight,” Warren told the BBC. “Two men baring their hearts and souls in the ring, gave everything, didn’t leave one bit outside the ring.
“They were getting hit with bombs that would take people out and they stood it.”
Dubois is now the WBO heavyweight champion of the world [Dave Thompson/AP]
Having arrived an hour later than the champion to the venue because of Manchester traffic, Dubois made a brisk, business-like ringwalk.
Wardley, in his first appearance since being upgraded to world champion, soaked in the atmosphere with a leisurely entrance. Draped in an Ipswich Town Football Club robe, he was greeted by a warm reception from the 18,000-strong crowd.
With a combined record of 42 wins – 40 coming by knockout – there was palpable anticipation inside the arena, and Wardley stayed true to his promise to bring the action early as Dubois immediately hit the canvas after a flush right hand.
Dubois winked to his corner but looked shell-shocked. He wrestled Wardley to the ground as both fighters swung for the hills.
Many expected Dubois to impose himself early before Wardley could settle. Considered the better technical boxer, he regrouped and landed a right in the second.
Momentum swung again in the third when Wardley, who looked sharp with his overhand right and uppercuts, sent Dubois wobbling. Dubois took a knee and survived the count before firing back with a right hand that rocked Wardley.
The fighters and fans struggled to catch a breath as trainer Don Charles urged Dubois to lean on his jab, and he followed that instruction to take control of proceedings.
Dubois’ left eye was swollen, but Wardley’s face looked a mess as Dubois set up his attacks with a left jab before landing his biggest shots in the fourth and the sixth.
Wardley, who was working in recruitment a decade ago, showed an extraordinary chin and heart as he refused to go down despite his legs trembling and blood pouring down his face.
Most would likely have been withdrawn by their corner, but Wardley has built a reputation on dramatic comebacks. This time, however, it felt different.
The doctor inspected Wardley’s injuries before the eighth round and allowed him to continue.
By the ninth, the referee looked ready to intervene as Wardley continued to absorb heavy punishment and the contest became increasingly difficult to watch.
Doctors again allowed Wardley to continue before the 10th and when the stoppage finally arrived in the 11th, there was almost a sense of relief.
A sensational fight had reached its conclusion.
Warren – a veteran of 45 years in the sport – described it as “the best heavyweight fight” he has ever promoted.
Two big-hitting British heavyweights will collide for a world title in Manchester on Saturday as Fabio Wardley defends his WBO belt against Daniel Dubois.
Unbeaten Wardley, 31, makes the first defence of his title after the Ipswich fighter was upgraded from interim to full world champion last year.
Londoner Dubois, 28, is aiming to bounce back from his defeat by Oleksandr Usyk last summer, as he looks to become a two-time world champion.
With a combined 95% knockout ratio, it seems unlikely the judges will be needed at the Co-op Live Arena.
BBC Sport spoke to figures from the boxing world to get their predictions.
