Moses Itauma slapped by Filip Hrgovic as security separate pair at weigh-in

Moses Itauma pushed Filip Hrgovic off the stage in an explosive weigh-in ahead of their world title fight – getting a slap in the face from his opponent in return.

Itauma, 21, is seeking to become the second youngest heavyweight world champion in history after Mike Tyson when he fights Hrgovic for the vacant IBF title on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.

The Croatian has made several attempts to rile his young opponent during fight week, labelling him ‘just a kid’ and ‘delusional’ in an attempt to get under his skin.

The tension continued to rise on Friday for weigh-ins with Itauma telling his opponent he will ‘f**k him up’ during their icy stare down on stage.

As Hrgovic turned his back on him to face the crowd, Itauma stepped forward and shoved the 34-year-old off the stage.

Returning to the stage, Hrgovic leaned off to slap his rival in the race with security wading into separate the pair.

Itauma usually a reserved and calm presence in fight week, never loosing his cool. But the Chatham fighter admitted on these occasion he ‘lost it a little bit.’

‘I was ready to go,’ Itauma said. ‘I don’t know, I just lost it a little bit […] I had a little itch, and I just had to scratch it.’

His promoter Frank Warren added: ‘I’m a bit surprised myself at what happened. He’s not normally like this, Moses, but he’s up for this, as you can see.

‘I think that’s what he was trying to do there: stamp his authority before he even gets into the ring. He’s showing he’s not fazed by what Filip brings.’