EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsTwo of the most significant fights of the year happen Saturday night, and it would be ideal for boxing fans if the timing works out so they can watch both bouts.Moses Itauma will attempt to become the second-youngest heavyweight champion ever when he fights Filip Hrgovic in London for the IBF belt that Oleksandr Usyk vacated in June. And rival junior middleweight champions Chantelle Cameron and Mikaela Mayer will meet in Manchester, England, in the best women's matchup of 2026.There is even more on the menu for Saturday's feast of boxing, including Caroline Dubois' WBC and WBO lightweight title defense against Amelia Moore and a pivotal fight for super middleweight contender Lester Martinez.What are the weekend's best fights? ESPN marks your card.1. Moses Itauma (-900) vs. Filip Hrgovic (+550) | London (DAZN PPV, 2 p.m. ET)If Itauma, 21, becomes heavyweight champion, he would be the second youngest ever, behind only Mike Tyson, who was 20 when he won the WBC heavyweight belt in 1986. Itauma (14-0, 12 KOs) looked sensational in a Round 5 knockout against Jermaine Franklin Jr. in March, and if he maintains his ruthless form against the more experienced Hrgovic (20-1, 15 KOs), he will usher in a new era of heavyweight boxing -- the Itauma era.The Slovakia-born boxer from Kent, England, has stopped 12 of his 14 opponents, and 11 of those knockouts came within two rounds. That is why many observers consider him the next dominant heavyweight, as Usyk nears retirement and with aging former champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua looking beyond their prime in recent performances.Hrgovic, 34, a 2016 Olympic bronze medallist from Croatia, is coming off an easy three-round win over Dave Allen in May. Now he must achieve what Itauma's previous opponents have failed to do: test the English boxer's chin. We have yet to see how Itauma reacts to a hard shot.Hrgovic tends to cut, and it cost him his unbeaten record when his 2024 bout against Daniel Dubois was stopped by the ringside doctor. There have been other occasions when Hrgovic has had to contend with cuts, and it could again be an issue if Itauma lands clean shots.But if Hrgovic (20-1, 15 KOs) can avoid the inevitable early storm, then establish his educated jab, he can begin to frustrate the home country hero by the middle rounds. That could lead to an upset.It seems unlikely, though. What is more likely is that the Itauma express train makes another brief journey. If Itauma pulls it off in his 15th fight, only three other boxers will have won the heavyweight title in fewer: Leon Spinks, eight, in 1978; James J. Corbett, 11, in 1892, and James J. Jeffries, 13, in 1899.2. Chantelle Cameron (+200) vs. Mikaela Mayer (-260) | Birmingham, England (ESPN+, 2 p.m. ET)Mayer has called it the biggest fight in women's boxing this year -- and she's right."We're getting each other in our prime, you're getting this fight while we're both still very strong, so I'm predicting female fight of the year," Mayer recently said.Cameron is the WBO women's junior middleweight champion, and Mayer owns the WBA and WBC titles.Since Cameron lost a rematch to Katie Taylor by decision in 2023, her career has lacked big nights and significance."I went from being undisputed world junior welterweight champion, fighting Katie Taylor in back-to-back fights, and then being in fights with no meaning," Cameron told ESPN in 2025.Cameron, 35, is the only boxer to beat Taylor as a professional, and she hoped to get a trilogy fight with the Irishwoman. But Taylor will retire following her Sept. 5 fight in Dublin against Flora Pili for Taylor's WBO, IBF and WBA junior welterweight titles and the vacant WBC junior welterweight title.While Taylor's experience and quality are expected to enable her to become undisputed champion for a third time, Cameron vs. Mayer is a lot harder to call.Cameron's disappointment at not facing Taylor next week has been assuaged by being in the next biggest fight available to her, against rival champion Mayer.Both are in good form, with Cameron at No. 5 and Mayer tied for No. 6 in ESPN's pound-for-pound women's rankings.Cameron (22-1, 8 KOs), boxing not far from her Northampton, England, hometown, will start a slight underdog. Cameron set up this clash when she stepped up two weight classes to beat Michaela Kotaskova for the vacant WBO junior middleweight title in April.Mayer, 36, won the WBA and WBC junior middleweight titles last October with a unanimous decision over Mary Spencer. She has also won world titles at welterweight and junior lightweight. Mayer has not boxed since the Spencer bout, and she is used to fighting more regularly. The inactivity is something to consider.While Mayer (22-2, 5 KOs) is perhaps the more polished boxer and is expected to try to establish her jab early on, two-division world champion Cameron is a pressure fighter, with excellent work rate and power, and possesses the more explosive power, which could unsettle Mayer in the second half of the fight.But in the last two years Mayer has recorded the better wins, beating Spencer and Sandy Ryan. Mayer has disputed her decision losses on British soil to Alycia Baumgardner and Natasha Jonas, so it would be no surprise to see Mayer open up in the later rounds to avoid another disappointment. This fight promises to be intense, perhaps resulting in a draw.3. Caroline Dubois (-2000) vs. Amelia Moore (+900) | Birmingham, England (ESPN+, 2 p.m. ET)Dubois, 25, whose elder brother Daniel is WBO heavyweight champion after beating Fabio Wardley earlier this year, unified the lightweight titles in April when she outpointed Terri Harper in a career-best win. She goes into this title defense with real momentum after scoring a knockdown in her decision win over Bonnie Hunter in December.An added incentive for Dubois (13-0-1, 5 KOs) to retain her titles is the prospect of a title unification fight with the winner of the Nov. 8 title fight between Alycia Baumgardner vs. Elif Nur Turhan, an easy fight to make since both of them are signed with the same promoter as Dubois, Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions. The 36-year-old Moore (4-0, 1 KO), from Colorado, lacks the experience to appear to be much of a threat to Dubois, who is expected to unload heavy shots and go for a stoppage win.This is a good time to check out Dubois if you've not seen her before, as there are big fights in the pipeline.4. Lester Martinez (-700) vs. Luka Plantic (+450) | Los Angeles (ProBox TV, 8 p.m. ET)Martinez can put himself in the frame for life-changing fights if he retains his WBC interim title. If the Guatemalan boxer stays unbeaten, he will move to first in the queue to face the winner of the WBC title fight between champion Christian M'billi and former undisputed king Canelo Alvarez, who clash in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 31.Martinez (20-0-1, 16 KOs) wouldn't mind facing either. He has unfinished business with Mbilli after their draw almost a year ago, and Alvarez is boxing's biggest star and a cash generator after an outstanding career.Martinez, 30, is heavy-handed and will want to make a statement, to set up bigger paydays, so this fight could end inside the distance. Martinez is in a great position after a unanimous decision win over Immanuwel Aleem for the WBC interim belt in March. He must win to move his career to the next level.Planti (13-0, 10 KOs), from Croatia, has moved quickly under the guidance of respected trainer Joel Diaz, based in Palm Springs, California, so don't rule out an upset. Planti, 29, also has a reputation as a big puncher, so this one could be a slugfest.5. Sam Noakes (-600) vs. Denys Berinchyk (+400) | London (DAZN PPV, 2 p.m. ET)Noakes, 29, steps up in class as he continues his return journey to title contention when he faces former WBO champion Berinchyk.Noakes (18-1, 16 KOs), who lost a unanimous decision to Abdullah Mason for the vacant WBO lightweight title last November, scored a routine eight-round decision win in May against Benito Sanchez Garcia. But Berinchyk (19-1, 9 KOs) should be a tougher test.The experienced Ukrainian has not fought since Keyshawn Davis knocked him out in Round 4 of his first title defense in February 2025. Berinchyk, 38, needs a good performance to rescue his career at the top level.Noakes showed plenty of heart against the highly rated Mason, and this could be another stoppage win for the English fighter.
