Filip Hrgovic lauded Moses Itauma after the young Briton's surprising ninth‑round stoppage, but he also noted that the challenger fought in a manner reminiscent of an amateur. The 34‑year‑old Croatian, who made history on Saturday night at The O2 by becoming Croatia's inaugural world heavyweight champion and capturing the vacant IBF heavyweight belt, offered a candid assessment of his opponent's performance. Itauma, a 21‑year‑old prospect who entered the ring unbeaten, dominated the early phases of the bout. For the first six rounds he landed a series of crisp, accurate punches that kept Hrgovic on the back foot.
Observers noted his speed and technical precision, qualities that had earned him a reputation as one of the sport's most promising young heavyweights. However, as the fight wore on, the British fighter began to show signs of fatigue. He struggled to penetrate Hrgovic's sturdy chin, and the seventh round marked the first time in his career that he had been forced to fight beyond six rounds.
The Croatian champion seized the initiative in the ninth round, delivering a flurry of power shots that left Itauma unable to continue. The British corner, recognizing the danger, threw in the towel to protect their fighter. After the victory, Hrgovic praised Itauma as the most talented heavyweight he had faced, yet he compared the younger man's style to that of an amateur boxer. "Let me be honest, he's amazing.
I didn't know it was going to be so hard; I thought I would handle him easier," Hrgovic said in the post‑fight interview. He continued, "I was losing all the rounds. The kid is amazing, he was so fast, you don't see his punches coming. He doesn't hit hard but he's fast.
But from the first round I saw he was gassing out; he was boxing still like an amateur. He's inexperienced, I saw he was gassing out and I knew my only chance was to stay there to make him tired, to keep coming and maybe stop him later on. That's what I did." Hrgovic reflected on the significance of the win, noting that he had traveled to London— I ta's hometown— to face what he described as "the most talented guy in the division" and had defied the odds. "I want to be considered the best heavyweight in the world, and this is my time.
I am the best. I am the present and he is the future," he declared. He also outlined his ambitions for future unification bouts, expressing a desire to face either Daniel Dubois or the German contender Agit Kabayel.
Itauma entered the fight with considerable hype, having built a reputation through early knockout victories that positioned him as a bright star in British boxing. Yet the bout exposed a need for better pacing when confronting durable opponents who can survive the early onslaught. The young heavyweight was carried out of the ring on a stretcher as a precaution and taken to hospital. A statement from Queensberry Promotions on Sunday morning confirmed that he had been released and was back home with his family, reassuring fans that he was "well." Promoter Frank Warren emphasized the importance of the fighter's health, stating, "That's what we always do to make sure because the most important thing is the boxer's health.
He's there and he's in the best place. We'll see what happens when I've got a report.
We'll obviously let everybody know. He's done something to his leg as well and he was quite tired. It was a high‑paced, fast fight for both the guys. It was just edge‑of‑your‑seat stuff all the way through." The loss also dashed Itauma's hopes of becoming Britain's youngest heavyweight world champion.
Warren admitted uncertainty about the next steps for the 21‑year‑old, saying, "I don't know what he's going to say. I'm sure he's a fighting man.
He showed that right to the end. At the end, that's the type of fight it was – they were standing there just letting bombs go. I don't even know how he feels mentally.
Mentally, he's going to be completely down. We're going to have to talk to him and lift him and see what he's like.
It's going to take some time. He's going to have a nice break. It's not even the time to talk about it with him at the moment. It's something we're probably doing in two weeks or even a month's time, see where we go with it." Looking ahead, Hrgovic's next challenge will be the IBF's mandatory challenger, Frank Sanchez, as he seeks to solidify his reign and pursue the unification dreams he outlined.
The fight with Itauma, while brief, offered a vivid illustration of the fine line between raw talent and seasoned experience in the heavyweight division, and it underscored the importance of stamina, strategy, and ring‑craft when competing at the highest level.