Itauma vs. Hrgovic Undercard Picks – Best Bets & Predictions Beyond the Main Event
By Jaren Kawada in Boxing
Published:
- Moses Itauma looks to make history against Filip Hrgovic on Saturday night
- Former lightweight title challenger Sam Noakes headlines the undercard against Denys Berinchyk in the co-main event
- Check out the best analysis, predictions and bets for the full Moses Itauma vs. Filip Hrgovic undercard below
All eyes of the boxing world will be on Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions on Saturday night, with Moses Itauma (14-0) looking to fulfill his destiny and win his first world title against Filip Hrgovic (20-1). Itauma and Hrgovic rightfully dominate headlines in the main event, but the 12-fight card has a lot to offer for fans to digest from top to bottom.
Former lightweight title challenger Sam Noakes (18-1) headlines the undercard by taking on former world champion Denis Berinchyk (19-1) in the co-main event. Berinchyk is returning for the first time since losing the WBO lightweight title to Keyshawn Davis in February 2025.
Undefeated prospects Constantin Ursu (15-0) and Nelson Hysa (24-0) populate the undercard, among others. The first fight of the night begins at 1:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. BST, with the main card set to follow shortly thereafter.
Moses Itauma vs. Filip Hrgovic Undercard Odds
Odds as of Aug. 29, 2026, on theScore Bet. Check out the best boxing apps in 2026 to place a wager.
Unsurprisingly, almost every undercard fight features a massive betting favorite. Constantin Ursu and Guido Vianello tie as the biggest favorites among the main undercard fights, billed at -2000 to beat Ben Vaughan and Moses Jolly, respectively.
As such, gutsy fans can get Vaughan and Jolly at +850.
Noakes vs. Berinchyk is the closest-lined fight among the main undercard matchups, and the Englishman is still a healthy -900 favorite to topple the former champion.
Sam Noakes vs. Denys Berinchyk Prediction
As losers of two recent lightweight title fights, Noakes and Berinchyk meet at an appropriate time in their respective careers. They just happen to be trending in completely opposite directions, with the 29-year-old Noakes still very much in the title picture, and the 38-year-old Berinchyk practically being pushed out the door.
Noakes’ loss to Abdullah Mason was competitive, but Berinchyk was completely wiped out of his title loss to Keyshawn Davis. The Ukrainian’s fleet-footed style was no match for Davis’ physicality, timing and power, and it only took a few precise shots for him to fold. Berinchyk is catching no breaks at the tail end of his career, facing another physical lightweight in Noakes who emulates a lot of the issues Davis gave him.
While Noakes is not as technical as Davis, he fights with the same type of physicality and brings even more aggression to the table. Noakes wants to push his opponents back and explode into power shots. He thrives in the clinch, where he loves to dig to the body before ripping back upstairs. Berinchyk just collapsed from a perfectly placed body shot from Davis and could be in very similar trouble here.
Berinchyk will dance around, but at 38, that game plan has already reached its athletic peak. He has no power to thwart the forward-moving Noakes and will quickly find himself in survival mode once the Englishman makes this fight dirty.
- Boxing Picks: Sam Noakes by KO/TKO (-135 on theScore)
Constantin Ursu vs. Ben Vaughan Best Bet
It is easy to see why everyone loves Ursu in this spot. The 26-year-old Moldovan is an undefeated southpaw with a crowd-pleasing aggressive style backed by fast, heavy hands and an iron chin. Ursu’s knockout rate is underwhelming, but he has yet to fail to please the fans.
If Ursu plays his cards right, he could be in for another good night in the office. He is the better boxer than Ben Vaughan, with much cleaner punches. Ursu loves picking people off with his straight left when they attempt to enter his range, and Vaughan’s reckless footwork leaves him susceptible on the center line.
But if Ursu is not close to perfect, he could be in for a long night. Fatigue has always been an issue for him throughout his career — Ursu’s bouncing movement noticeably slows in the second half of his fights — and he finds himself facing a relentless pressure machine with an endless motor in Vaughan, who ends every fight strong. If Ursu is not careful, he could easily drown under Vaughan’s pressure late.
The massive skill gap has to favor Ursu, especially with him almost guaranteed to bank the early rounds. But this line is far too wide for this type of unique test. Vaughan’s only two losses were both extremely competitive majority decisions to Ekow Essuman and Bobby Dalton.
- Boxing Picks: Ben Vaughan Moneyline (+850 on theScore)
Nelson Hysa vs. Thomas Narmo Best Bet
There is no world in which Nelson Hysa and Thomas Narmo should have ever ended up in the same ring. Following an extremely late start to his professional career, the 41-year-old Hysa is always at an age disadvantage, but the skill gap between himself and Narmo is wide enough to fit a cruise ship.
Hysa, a former multi-time national champion amateur boxer, is deceptively athletic and subtly fast, especially given his age and stature. The Albanian fights disciplined behind his jab and underrated footwork that set up his power punches in the blink of an eye. Once he hits his flow state, Hysa is almost impossible to stop.
Narmo tries to fight with a similar patient style but lacks the artillery to be as dangerous as Hysa. The 32-year-old takes his time finding his range and timing despite towering over most of his regional opponents and throws without much thought or intelligent game-planning behind it. Narmo’s cardio is also shockingly poor for how slowly he fights, forcing him to find the knockout early or risk becoming even more limited late.
Although he is almost a decade younger, Narmo has almost nothing to offer Hysa. His slow punches lack pop, and his subpar footwork will not be able to keep up with that of ‘The Albanian Eagle.’ Hysa is looking to make a statement and will be able to end this fight virtually whenever he decides to.
- Boxing Picks: Under 5.5 Rounds (-135 on Bet365)
Guido Vianello vs. Moses Jolly Prediction
The first heavyweight fight of the card will be a perplexing matchup between veteran Guido Vianello and undefeated Brit Moses Jolly. Warren is taking a huge risk with Jolly in this fight, which, according to most metrics, is a massive miscalculation.
The 30-year-old Jolly has just two of his 12 wins against opponents with winning records. Those two fighters combined for a record of 22-15-1 at the time they fought Jolly. ‘The Native’ is going from a close decision win over 6-2 Will Howe to facing a seen-it-all veteran in Vianello on a pay-per-view fight card in the O2 Arena.
Vianello is no masterful boxer by any means. He is often way too wild for his own good, leaving his guard easier to slice than butter with his head stubborn on the center line. Luckily for him, Vianello’s chin ranks among the pound-for-pound best in boxing, allowing him to walk through devastating punishment more than he should.
If Efe Ajagba and Richard Torrez Jr. could not stop the 6-foot-6 Italian, Jolly’s wild and uneducated swinging is hardly going to get the job done. Jolly has been buzzed by much worse boxers already and has never faced a Terminator-like fighter such as Vianello, who is always in the fight from bell to bell. This is a matchup that will show clear levels based on experience.
- Boxing Picks: Guido Vianello by KO/TKO (-400 on Bet365)
