Ryan Garcia sends clear message to Moses Itauma after Hrgovic defeat
On August 29, at the O2 Arena in London, Filip Hrgovic inflicted a shock defeat on heavyweight rising star Moses Itaumato become the new IBF heavyweight champion. Fans, fighters, and boxing coaches have had their say on what went wrong for the Brit, and Ryan Garcia is the latest to have his say when speaking to the media ahead of his September 12 WBC welterweight world title defence against Conor Benn.
Moses Itauma suffers shock defeat to Filip Hrgovic
Moses Itauma (14-1, 12 KOs) entered the ring at the O2 Arena as a huge odds-on favourite against the experienced Croatian, Filip Hrgovic (21-1, 16 KOs). Itauma took no time to settle, quickly showcasing his blistering hand speed and impressive accuracy.
Despite the constant onslaught from Itauma, Hrgovic stood tall and took everything, and as the fight progressed, the Brit looked to be tiring. The Croat’s right hand began to land with more regularity. The ninth round saw Itauma enter a state of barely being able to stand up, and Hrgovic let his hands go, with the towel coming in from Ben Davison just as the referee stepped in to wave the fight off. The O2 fell into stunned silence as Hrgovic and his team celebrated wildly that he was the new IBF heavyweight world champion.
Ryan Garcia reflects on Moses Itauma loss
“It’s a marathon. Don’t look too much into this defeat. Look into what you need to fix, for sure. But don’t let it get you down completely. You were obviously the better fighter. You just weren’t conditioned, and you just don’t have enough experience at this current time to take that.
“But I don’t think he did bad. He was doing pretty good, but…I don’t know what was going on with his head. If you watch his interviews before, he’s saying that he’s not the best physcially right now (not sparred 12 rounds), nor mentally, but it will still be enough to beat Hrgovic. That’s a really bad mindset,” said Garcia, reflecting on Itauma’s defeat.
When reminded about Itauma’s pre-fight comment that he had never sparred 12-rounds, Garcia said: “Heavyweights are different, bro. They’re big dudes. He’s gonna have to find a way to condition himself for 12 rounds. If you don’t wanna spar 12 rounds, you gotta be conditioned to spar 12.”
The Big Fight Weekend verdict
For six complete rounds, Moses Itauma looked levels above the big Croatian, with Hrgovic admitting as much in the ring immediately after the fight.
Hrgovic showed the most important difference between him and Itauma: experience. The Croatian believed in his granite chin, and it got him through some incredibly difficult moments before Itauma tired. Watching the fight back, it looked to me like it was a combination of putting 100% into every punch and letting the occasion get to him.
Itauma has the talent to reach the top; that much is clear. Lessons need to be learned from this disastrous defeat, and if the 21-year-old can make the adjustments, we have no doubt he can still become a world champion.
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Ricky Carroll
Freelance Writer and Digital Marketer, spending most of his time waiting for Andy Cruz to win a world title. Also watches YouTube videos of Lennox Lewis fights on a daily basis.