What To Know
- Moses Itauma suffered a shocking knockout loss on Saturday to Filip Hrgović of Croatia, something no one expected except Hrgović.
- Instead of becoming a worldwide superstar, Itauma was so badly defeated he left the ring on a stretcher.
- What kind of future does Itauma face now after such a humiliating loss?
Boxing fans are only now wrapping their heads around the reality of the horrific loss suffered by Moses Itauma on Saturday. At 21, Itauma had passed every test and was being compared to Mike Tyson as a rising superstar.
The coronation crumbled before our eyes as Filip Hrgović used his experience, superb chin, and determination to exploit Itauma’s inexperience and flip the script. He was hurting Itauma so badly that trainer Ben Davison threw in the towel for a ninth-round TKO. Hrgovic is now the new IBF World Heavyweight champion, the first from Croatia.
Hrgovic now commands the attention of the boxing world as he called for unification fights with the other champions, Dubois and Kabayel. But he is most likely to face mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez of Cuba, who was paid step-aside money allowing the fight with Itauma to jump the line.
But more people are wondering about something else. What kind of future lies ahead for Moses Itauma?
Itauma’s rising star power seemed unstoppable. He hadn’t been challenged in the ring in his first 14 fights. He had only fought 31 total rounds, stopping 12 of his opponents, most before the end of the second round. He had the handspeed and mobility of a middleweight, the punching power of a modern big man.
But Moses Itauma had the limited stamina of a sprinter and no battle-tested awareness of what it takes to get yourself through 12 hard rounds of boxing with a determined opponent in front of you. It all disintegrated before our eyes in real time.
Moses Itauma Tells Fans He Will Return. Frank Warren Says Not So Fast
The scene at the O2 Arena in London after Itauma was carried out, not to be seen or heard from again over the weekend, was concerning. Fears were put to rest as Itauma posted a video message on his social media accounts.
“So, yesterday wasn’t my night. We attempted greatness and just fell short to the more experienced man. I want to say congratulations to Filip Hrgović on the win, and although I never reached my desired outcome, I believe I gained experience that I’ll take to my future fights.
“I want to thank the fans, in and outside the arena. You guys made it a little bit more special and a little bit more electrified than I expected. It was a fucking good fight, and I want to thank Queensberry and DAZN for putting this show on. God bless, take care, and I’ll be back.”
Queensberry Promotions chief Frank Warren reported in an interview with talkSPORT Breakfast that he spoke to Itauma on Sunday, who has a single question for him.
“He’s saying to me, ‘Can we get the rematch on?’ which is a natural reaction,” said Warren. But the Hall of Fame promoter told his young prospect he shouldn’t be so eager to rush the process.
“I told him, ‘You have got to switch off from boxing, go and chill out and spend some time with your family and come back, recharge your batteries and then we get to work again’.
“The landscape is what it is. You are a big part of it. You have shown you belong at that level. Provided he learns the lessons from the fight, I think he can go on and do great things.”
Warren no doubt feels some regret for moving Itauma along so quickly.
Who’s To Blame For Moses Itauma’s Failure?
Now that the shock of the loss is sinking in, fans and pundits all have an opinion about what went wrong. Itauma didn’t spar enough, didn’t work on his conditioning enough. Itauma came out too quickly.
Itauma should have stopped trying to get a knockout and cruised through the last four rounds after being well ahead on the cards by round eight with scores of 80-71, 80-71, and 79-72. Where was trainer Ben Davison to tell Itauma to slow his roll and get the win?
Maybe Itauma shouldn’t have ever been matched up with an opponent with the experience of the 34-year-old Hrgović, whose only loss came on cuts and with a far superior resume. Give credit to the wily veteran trainer Abel Sanchez, who designed the ideal training regimen for Hrgović, had him drop down in weight, and paired him with sparring partner Jermaine Franklin, who had lost to Itauma by knockout just two months ago.
But the bottom line is this: Itauma started believing the hype. His flashy start couldn’t overcome his lack of amateur fights or pro experience. If he was getting any warnings in training, he wasn’t listening. This isn’t so unusual for an athlete who sometimes believes he’s the only one who knows what’s up.
So what now?
Can Moses Itauma Climb Back To The Top?
Moses Itauma and his team will need to chew their humble pie slowly and thoroughly, and learn where they made mistakes. Once they identify them, they can assess how to address them.
Itauma needs to be matched up with experienced but lesser opponents, with the specific objective of adding up rounds before he attempts a knockout – four, five, six rounds at least. It will be impossible for him to fight away from the spotlight. Queensberry isn’t going to let him fight deep on an obscure fight card in a faraway location without any live broadcast.
But Frank Warren has plenty of experience rebuilding the careers of boxers like Itauma who suffered early losses on their way to championships.
Warren took Amir Khan at age 21 after the 2008 Olympic silver medalist suffered a knockout loss to Breidis Prescott in 2004. One year later, Khan won his first world title. David Haye lost at age 23 to 40-year-old former champion Carl Thompson. Haye had five first-round knockouts in his first ten fights. Sound familiar? Haye’s corner threw in the towel in the fifth round.
Haye eventually became the unified cruiserweight champion and won a heavyweight title. He has often said the loss was a career-turning point for the better, forcing him to learn about pacing.
Warren also helped Daniel Dubois overcome a reputation as a quitter when he lost to Joe Joyce in 2020, steering him to a world championship after his sensational knockout of Anthony Joshua.
Give Moses Itauma A Chance
Warren isn’t giving up on his young heavyweight. “Obviously he’s got to go back and get back to the drawing board, and he can come again,” said Warren. “He’s only a young man. He’s 21 years of age. It was an opportunity. He took it, and it wasn’t to be.
“I think he’s still one of the most unbelievable talents that I’ve ever been involved with in my time in boxing,” said Warren. “We’re with him, and we’ll stick with him.”
Fans need to take a breath and gather themselves. The Itauma hype train ran off the tracks. But people love a comeback story. Will the public be patient enough as Itauma rehabilitates himself? It’s hard under the social media spotlight. Itauma might consider closing down his accounts and flying under the radar until he’s ready to return.
One thing is certain. Itauma gained some of the hard-won experience he lacked going into the ring on Saturday. Whether he learns from it, listens to his betters, and puts his nose to the grindstone is up to him.
Filip Hrgović had nothing but encouragement for Itauma after the victory he vowed all week he would defeat the “high schooler.”
“For him, my advice. Don’t give up, don’t lose your confidence,” said Hrgović. “Get a few easy fights, easy wins to build again and to learn from these mistakes. You can’t box like an amateur. It’s a 12-round fight. You need to pace yourself. Every moment you need to be ready.”
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.
