Boxing fans noticed the exact moment Moses Itauma realized he was going to lose his fight against Filip Hrgovic.
Filip Hrgovic surprised everyone by ending Moses Itauma’s unbeaten streak and becoming the IBF World Champion. Before the fight, Itauma was the clear favorite, with 14 straight wins and 10 of those knockouts happening before the sixth round. Many boxing stars, like Prince Naseem Hamed, even said Itauma’s rise was faster and bigger than anything British boxing has seen, predicting he’d surpass legends like Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
But it was Hrgovic, the experienced Croatian, who shocked the crowd at the O2 Arena, winning by a ninth-round TKO to claim the vacant heavyweight title. After the fight, Tony Bellew praised Hrgovic for his incredible toughness and stamina. Despite Itauma’s strong start and powerful punches in the early rounds, Hrgovic held his ground and grew stronger as the fight went on, eventually scoring the knockout.
Fans on social media have pointed out a key moment when Itauma landed a heavy uppercut on Hrgovic’s chin—something that would have knocked most fighters down. But Hrgovic barely noticed, showing his amazing durability. One fan said, “That punch would knock out anyone else,” while another added, “When Hrgovic took that like it was nothing, I knew Moses was in trouble.”
After that, Itauma kept throwing hard punches but started running out of energy, while Hrgovic only got stronger. By the ninth round, Itauma was wobbling, and his corner wisely threw in the towel. Some people criticized Itauma’s team for their strategy, saying they expected a quick knockout and didn’t prepare for a long fight. Itauma even admitted he wasn’t used to going the full 12 rounds in training.
Talking to TalkSPORT, Itauma said, “I don’t think I’ve done a full 12-round sparring session. I don’t see the need if I can finish the fight early. Whether it’s the 1st or the last round, the pay’s the same.” His trainer, Ben Davinson, who was once part of Tyson Fury’s team, also faced criticism for pushing Itauma too hard instead of pacing him to use his skill over time.
In the end, Hrgovic’s grit and experience won the day, proving that sometimes steady strength beats early fire.