Filip Hrgovic just pulled off one of the craziest upsets in heavyweight boxing history on Saturday, snatching the vacant IBF title with a dramatic ninth-round TKO over Moses Itauma in London. This was a fight nobody saw playing out like this, especially not after the first eight rounds.
The Underdog’s Nightmare Start Against a Young Star
Talk about a rough start! Hrgovic entered the ring as a massive +500 underdog, and man, he fought like it for a long stretch. The highly touted prospect Moses Itauma, just 21 years old, brought serious speed to the fight, and Hrgovic was struggling to keep up. Itauma was hitting him with everything he had, even scoring a second-round knockdown that really seemed to set the tone for the entire night. Honestly, it looked like Hrgovic was losing every single round. He was getting outboxed, taking heavy fire, and by all accounts, was just trying to stay in the fight as Itauma dictated the pace. Most fighters would have folded, but Hrgovic, the Croatian, just kept marching forward. You gotta give him props for that grit.
The Jaw-Dropping Turnaround That Nobody Predicted
Then, suddenly, the tide completely shifted. By the end of the eighth round, Itauma was clearly out of gas. You could see he was struggling to generate anything offensively, and Hrgovic, despite losing all eight previous rounds, knew exactly what was happening. He seized the moment, pouncing on his weakened opponent. Hrgovic started pummeling Itauma with heavy, rattling shots that completely overwhelmed the young fighter. Soon enough, Itauma was rag-dolled against the ropes, and his corner, along with the referee, had no choice but to call off the action in the ninth. It was a stunning comeback!
Hrgovic, clearly ecstatic and maybe a little shocked himself, put it perfectly after the fight. He said, “Let me ask my young friend something: is chin important? Chin is important. Look, he’s an amazing fighter. I want to thank him for accepting this fight, for giving me chance to become a new superstar in heavyweight division. I’m the present and he’s definitely the future. He’s amazing fighter, he’s one of a kind. He’s the best I’ve been in the ring with, but he needs more experience. He gassed out. I felt the pace of the fight. I knew I was losing rounds but I knew that I have that pace in my favor. I was losing every round, I was outboxed. I don’t know from where I got energy in that [ninth] round.”
This win is, without a doubt, the biggest of Hrgovic’s career. His journey to a title has been stalled for a while, especially after being the mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk’s IBF title while Usyk and Tyson Fury were in their trilogy. He even lost an interim title fight to Daniel Dubois in June 2024 by late TKO, taking a different path instead of waiting it out. But now, after Saturday night’s incredible showing, Hrgovic is officially a champion. What a wild ride!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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