Moses Itauma was stopped in the ninth round by Filip Hrgovic in a historic night at The O2 Arena in London tonight.
Heavyweight sensation Itauma had the chance to become the second-youngest world champion in divisional history after the legendary Mike Tyson in front of a sold-out home crowd. Legends like Prince Naseem Hamed were in the building to watch a potentially star-making fight for the vacant IBF belt.
Filip Hrgovic beats Moses Itauma in a boxing epic🔥Give us your reaction to that 👀
What is next for both fighters?
Oleksandr Usyk gave Itauma the chance at gold when he vacated his belts earlier this year. The man standing across from him was tough Croatian Hrgovic, who has been one of the perennial contenders in the division.
Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic result
After a heated build-up that blew up when the pair get physical during their weigh-in yesterday, Moses Itauma wasted no time showing off his speed and power early. Filip Hrgovic survived the first, but was dropped in the opening seconds of the second by a shot atop the head that saw him touch the canvas.
Following in the footsteps of Anthony Joshua, who that very same belt at that very same venue to begin his reign atop the heavyweight division, Itauma looked dominant early. However, the pace slowed significantly in the third allowing the Croatian back into the fight.
Itauma had only been out of the second round twice prior to tonight’s clash, and he began to go through the gears again after landing a big left hook early that shocked his rival. He cut Hrgovic at some point during Round Four, albeit not a rarity for the game contender.
Hrgovic truly began to find his rhythm in the fifth and managed to land some good shots of his own. Unfortunately, the final moment of the round was a massive uppercut landing on the button that hurt him heading into the halfway point.
Late in the sixth Hrgovic truly went looking for the finish, although it ended with his chin being tested once again. He ended up taking Itauma further than he ever had been in his life with the fight ticking into a second half and a seventh round.
In the final moments of the eighth, Itauma went for the kill but appeared to tire as Hrgovic piled on pressure of his own. The Croatian pushed the pace for the first time really, but was clearly tired in his own right after taking a beating to the body over eight.
Ultimately, Itauma was exhausted after going for the finish and Hrgovic was able to take advantage in the corner. The Brit’s corner threw in the towel and history was truly made as a first ever Croatian world heavyweight champion was crowned.
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