LONDON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - ⁠Young British heavyweight Moses Itauma shoved ⁠Croatian opponent Filip Hrgovic off the stage ‌and the Croatian responded with a slap at the weigh-ins as the tension rose ahead of their battle ​for the vacant IBF World ⁠Heavyweight title on Saturday.

The ⁠21-year-old Itauma, who is aiming to become boxing's ⁠second-youngest ‌heavyweight world champion after Mike Tyson, engaged in a verbal exchange with ⁠Hrgovic.

When the Croatian turned to face ​the cameras, ‌Itauma pushed him in the back, causing ⁠him to ​briefly step off the platform.

Hrgovic regained his balance and returned to the stage and, as ⁠74-year-old promoter Frank Warren stepped in ​to separate the two, the 34-year-old aimed a right-handed slap at Itauma before they were ⁠separated by security staff.

Itauma brings an unbeaten record of 14-0 with his last 10 wins coming by knockout in Saturday's bout, which takes ​place at London's O2 ⁠Arena.

Hrgovic's only loss in his 21-fight professional career ​came against Daniel Dubois ‌in 2024 in a fight ​for the IBF interim heavyweight title.

(Reporting by Philip O'Connor, editing by Pritha Sarkar)