Moses Itauma, at just 21 years old, blew his shot at making history Saturday night at London’s O2 Arena, losing in the ninth round to Filip Hrgovic and missing his chance to become the youngest heavyweight world champion since Mike Tyson. Itauma’s inexperience, despite dazzling early offense, ultimately proved to be his downfall in a fight that was supposed to crown him the new IBF heavyweight world champion.
The Rise and The Stunning Collapse
Itauma came into this fight with a 14-0 record, 12 KOs, and a ton of hype, fresh off highlight-reel knockout wins over guys like Mariusz Wach, Dillian Whyte, and Jerm. The stage was set for him to claim that vacant IBF heavyweight world title. And man, did he start strong! He won the first round, even knocked Hrgovic down in the second, dominating many subsequent rounds with his fast hands and relentless offense. But that’s where the problem began, according to his longtime promoter, Frank Warren. Itauma “fell in love with his power and abandoned his jab.” Sound familiar? It’s a classic rookie mistake in the boxing world.
“Fighting Like an Amateur” and The Aftermath
Warren’s alarm bells were ringing before the fight even started. He heard Itauma’s team say the fighter wouldn’t feel like he’d truly won the world title unless he *finished* Hrgovic. “I didn’t like hearing that,” Warren admitted. “That’s not what it’s about.” This mentality proved costly. Itauma ultimately punched himself out, barely able to stand in the ninth round, throwing only sluggish, slow shots. Hrgovic, the 34-year-old veteran, just had to endure, as he said he knew he would get Itauma in the later rounds once he tired.
Hrgovic, now the IBF heavyweight champ, didn’t mince words. He praised Itauma’s speed, saying “Honestly, I’ve never been in the ring with someone like him.” But he quickly added, “he’s inexperienced. I saw from the first round that he was breathing hard, throwing too hard. Fighting like an amateur.” Hrgovic even said Itauma was “winning all the rounds” when he went “toe-to-toe” but called it a “very stupid move from him. Inexperienced.” Itauma was eventually taken out of the ring on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital. This was a brutal lesson.
Warren still calls Itauma “one of the most unbelievable talents,” and believes he will “come back” and “learn from it.” But the veteran promoter warns that Itauma “needs a bit more ring craft. And to stop thinking he can knock everyone out.” Hrgovic offered some advice too: “Use his legs and box.” He also said Itauma needs to “work on his power to sit down on his punches.” With legends like Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua getting older, the sport needs new blood. Itauma has the talent, no doubt, but can he learn from this amateur mistake and truly develop a professional style? We’ll be watching to see what happens next.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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