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Croatian boxer Filip Hrgovic has stopped Britain’s Moses Itauma in the ninth round to claim the vacant International Boxing Federation heavyweight title after a gruelling contest at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday.
The 34-year-old survived a fast start from the highly rated Itauma before turning the fight around as the younger boxer began to tire. The victory sees Hrgovic become the latest holder of the IBF heavyweight belt, which was vacated by Oleksandr Usyk.
Itauma, 21, entered the bout with a chance to make history by becoming the second-youngest heavyweight world champion after Mike Tyson. Instead, the contest became the toughest test of his 15-fight professional career and ended with him being taken from the ring on a stretcher and transported to hospital.
The British fighter appeared in control during the opening rounds, repeatedly finding Hrgovic with straight left hands. Hrgovic was forced to take a standing eight count in the second round after being caught by a right hook.
Itauma continued to impress as the fight progressed, with a well-timed uppercut at the end of the fifth round drawing a strong reaction from the partisan home crowd.
But Hrgovic’s experience and durability began to tell as Itauma’s pace dropped. The Croatian, an Olympic bronze medallist, had never been regarded as easy to hurt, and he absorbed several heavy shots before finding opportunities to counter.
By the eighth round, both fighters appeared exhausted, but Hrgovic continued to land damaging punches of his own. Itauma struggled to remain steady on his feet, and referee Howard Foster eventually intervened in the ninth round to end the contest.
Itauma’s trainer, Ben Davison, also threw in the towel, although Foster had already stopped the fight in Hrgovic’s favour. Hrgovic admitted afterwards that he had been under pressure early in the contest but believed his greater experience would eventually work in his favour.
“I felt the pace of the fight. I knew I was losing rounds, but I knew that I had that pace in my favour. He was gassing out,” he said.
The Croatian said he found an unexpected source of strength late in the fight. Hrgovic also paid tribute to Itauma despite securing the biggest victory of his career.
“I’m the present, and he’s definitely the future. He’s an amazing fighter,” he said. “He’s one of a kind. He’s the best I’ve been in a ring with, but he needed more experience.”
For Itauma, the defeat ends his unbeaten start to professional boxing and his bid for a record-setting world title. But his early performance against an experienced heavyweight champion has further established him as one of the division’s leading young prospects.
