Hrgovic says Itauma isn't Ready to take on a Man of His Experience. Many Experts Agree

Central to this fight's publicity is the fact that the 21 year-old Moses Itauma will become the second youngest heavyweight champion in history if he defeats Filip Hrgovic on Saturday. He can't break Mike Tyson's record, because the American was just 20 when he seized his first world title from Trevor Berbick forty years ago.

Moses is sick of hearing this. Instead of being thrilled at the idea of overtaking the likes of Mohammad Ali and Floyd Patterson in this age race, he says being second just means "you're the first loser." 

But if we look at the number of rounds boxed before challenging for a world title, a Moses victory would far outshine Mike Tyson's. Moses has boxed just 31 rounds in the professional ring compared to 74 at the same point for Tyson. Ali had notched up 101, and Paterson, 166.

Would that make Moses the least experienced heavyweight to win a world title? Well, it would tie him with Leon Spinks, who beat Mohammad Ali in 1978 with an identical 31 rounds behind him.

Spinks wasn't able to hang on to the heavyweight crown though. Ali won it back from him just seven months later.

Some people are concerned that Moses' reign could be similarly brief if he prevails on Saturday. Filip Hrgovic believes a win for young Moses would "ruin his soul and ruin his life". He argues that the Brit lacks the maturity to deal with the kind of pressure a world champion must endure.

Many boxing pundits also believe it's too soon. They say Moses is entering a world title fight without ever having been tested. His chin, his stamina and his ability to fight in the trenches are all question marks. Why have Itauma's managers rushed him, they ask?

Well, putting Itauma in with a man of Hrgovic's calibre so early is indeed a risk. But I would argue that failing to step up the level of his competition rapidly would have presented an even greater one.

Moses is such an exceptional talent that the greatest threat to him is not the boxer in the opposite corner. His biggest enemy is boredom.

Hrgovic was baffled to learn that Itauma had grown tired of boxing when he was still in his teens. He was winning without facing a challenge. His interest in the sport was restored by his new trainer, Ben Davison, who reframed opponents as puzzles. 

This way of thinking appealed to Itauma's analytical nature. Ben then set about teaching the young heavyweight new techniques. Moses is someone who needs to be constantly learning, and Davison was astute enough to recognise that immediately.

And Itauma's management saw that he needed harder puzzles.

Hrgovic has been telling reporters that he's a warrior who is not afraid of dying in the ring. He is indignant when he he hears himself described by his young rival as a puzzle.  But his unquestionable fighting spirit is unlikely to save him from being "solved" on Saturday.