Tyson Fury makes shocking $100m claim about Moses Itauma after surprising loss to Filip Hrgovic
Tyson Fury thinks Moses Itauma made a big mistake in his IBF heavyweight title fight against Filip Hrgovic—and he says he saw it coming. Itauma was stopped in the ninth round at London’s O2 Arena, even though the judges had him winning on points. After going all out for a knockout at the end of the eighth round, he ran out of energy, and the referee stopped the fight as Hrgovic took advantage.
The 21-year-old came into the fight with a perfect 14-0 record, including 12 knockouts, and the IBF belt was on the line. But he hadn’t been past the fifth round in any fight for three years. His last six wins could have lasted up to 10 rounds, but only Jermaine Franklin made it beyond the second round before Itauma stopped him in the fifth.
Hrgovic, who has a lot more experience, was Itauma’s first opponent in a 12-round fight. After the match, many agreed Itauma’s lack of experience showed. Tyson Fury told journalist Gareth A Davies that this could end up being a costly night for him.
“It’s a totally different game,” Fury said. “From my experience, I told promoter Frank Warren and anyone who would listen that it was too soon. When you’re trying to turn someone into a superstar, breaking records and all that, they rushed it and made a mistake. I believe Moses was a $100 billion athlete, and this has cost him a $100 million career.”
Itauma had been making a name for himself with big wins, including first-round knockouts over Dillian Whyte and Demsey McKean. But his only decision wins were in six-round fights against Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko and Kevin Nicolas Espindola in 2023. The Slovakian-born southpaw ended the night in the hospital, and Fury worries that coming back won’t be easy.
“It’s a big jump from never going past four rounds to fighting a 12-round world title without building up along the way,” Fury added. “Look at my career—I won English, Irish, British, Commonwealth, and European titles the traditional way. There’s a reason it’s done that way. I was 27 when I fought Wladimir Klitschko, a 10-1 underdog, but I was ready. If I’d faced him at 21, I’d have been knocked out too. Getting knocked out your first time in something big is tough to bounce back from. You need a strong mindset and real determination to keep going after that, especially when things had been going well.”
Fury shared these thoughts while training in Miami for his much-anticipated fight with fellow Brit Anthony Joshua. The match is set for this year, but the teams are still debating where it will take place. Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, said Joshua has until Friday, September 4, to agree to a fight in the United States.