Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic undercard loses fight days before event as late replacement sought

The Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic undercard has been subject to some last-minute chopping and changing.

Ageing former cruiserweight world title challenger Mike Perez (32-3-1) had been due to face up-and-coming Brit Aloys Junior (11-1) in a crossroads fight on Saturday night at the O2 Arena.

Leigh Dawney / Queensberry

However, Queensberry confirmed on Wednesday that Perez has been replaced by Sherif Musah (4-2-1).

No reason has been given for Perez’s withdrawal at the time of writing.

It will come as a blow for Aloys Junior, who has gone from fighting an established veteran to a relatively unknown quantity.

Musah is coming off an inside-the-distance upset win over two-time English title challenger Nathan Quarless in March.

Prior to the Quarless fight, he dropped points losses to unbeaten early-career pros Jack Bannister and Connal McDonald.

He will be hoping to topple another favourite this weekend, although he undoubtedly has his hands full with Aloys Junior.

The aptly nicknamed ‘Animal’ is one of the hardest punchers in domestic British boxing and has already proven himself at a higher level.

Aloys Junior picked up the Commonwealth 200lbs title in May of last year, blowing away David Jamieson in three rounds.

His most recent outing came in July 2025, when he edged Ellis Zorro on points in a tight contest.

Aloys Junior went on a year-long hiatus in the aftermath of that fight despite the absence of an obvious injury.

GETTY

Explaining his decision to take a step back from boxing, he recently told Ring Magazine: “I would say over the last year I started to understand myself more.

“I’ve taken care of my personal life a lot more attentively. I feel like boxing is a sport where, when you’re fighting, life doesn’t stop.

“But it’s one of those things where life kind of has to stop because you’re fighting.

“You can’t really take in your friends, your family, your social life or relationships.

“So I made a conscious decision to go back to real life for a moment.

“I was dealing with personal issues, which caused me to step away.

“It has been incredibly insightful and allowed me to tap in deeper and become a better version of myself.”

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