Moses Itauma opens up on Hrgovic defeat: ‘I’m still trying to accept the fact that I lost’

On August 29, at the O2 Arena in London, heavyweight hot prospect Moses Itauma suffered a shock defeat to Filip Hrgovic, who became the new IBF heavyweight champion with the win. Itauma’s first defeat sparked much debate in the sport about his ceiling and whether Ben Davison, his trainer, was at fault. Moses has spoken to Ring Magazine, where he opened up on the defeat to Hrgovic.

Moses Itauma suffers shock defeat to Hrgovic

Moses Itauma (14-1, 12 KOs) looked in complete control for much of his fight with Hrgovic (21-1, 16 KOs). He looked imperious in the first few rounds, showcasing slick movement and scintillating hand speed, with Hrgovic unable to land anything of note.

Itauma continued to be too fast and accurate for the Croatian, but despite touching down in round two, Hrgovic took every punch that came his way. Itauma gradually began to tire, which resulted in Hrgovic having more success as the fight progressed. The Brit could barely stand upright in round nine, and Hrgovic smelled blood and landed a series of heavy punches when silence engulfed the O2 Arena as Ben Davison threw in the towel, and referee Howard Foster stepped in to wave the fight off.

Moses Itauma opens up on shock defeat

Itauma has kept a low profile since his loss, but Frank Warren recently teased Itauma’s return, now the Brit has opened up on trying to accept the defeat to Hrgovic:

“Even now I’m still trying to accept the fact that I lost,” he said.

“My take after the fight was from the experience and preparation I had and what I knew, tried my best and fell short to the more experienced man. So what do you want me to do? I gave it my all and didn’t win that night. We go back to the drawing board, we assess it and we move on.

“To be honest, every year my life has changed dramatically. And this year it just took another dramatic turn. Not only was Hrgovic my only loss but it was the third ever round I’ve lost in my whole career and I did it at the age of 21 fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world.”

Itauma reflects on Hrgovic fight

Itauma was in complete control, 8-0 up on two cards and 7-1 up on the other at the time of the stoppage. Following the loss, Itauma received oxygen and left the arena on a stretcher as the shocked partisan crowd left.

Looking back on the defeat, Itauma said:

“When I caught him with my best shot and he kept coming forward I didn’t feel any type of way about it. I just thought that if he’s going to take my best shot, I’ll try again. We kept trying until my body kinda gave up on me. That was it.

“I watched it back two or three times. I just get annoyed every time I watch it. The best way to describe it is that I’m gutted. I’ll always say I’d rather be third than second because in third you know you couldn’t have won but when you’re second you knew that it was there for you. That’s what I’m going through right now. 

“I shoulda, woulda, coulda been first but I’m 21, 16 fights in and I’m very much coming into the mid stage of my career and I’ve fought for a world title already. Hopefully in the mid and back end of my career obviously I’ll pick up a world title and other things.”

Moses Itauma’s head coach Ben Davison received plenty of criticism regarding the fight, with many feeling he could have advised Itauma to manage the fight more effectively. Discussing his relationship with Davison and Lee Wylie:

“Me, Ben, Lee have a good relationship, a coach-boxer relationship, so any backlash that’s coming our way doesn’t really matter as long as we have that good coach-boxer relationship,” he said. “Let the people keep talking.

“After what happened in that fight, whatever I say is going to sound like an excuse. All I’ve got to say is that I take full responsibility for that fight. Will it be the making of me? We will see. It just sounds too cliche.”

The Big Fight Weekend verdict

Moses Itauma’s loss to Hrgovic had nothing to do with a lack of ability. As the 21-year-old alluded to in his interview with Louis Hart, he was beaten by the more experienced man, and watching the fight back, it’s difficult not to scream at the Brit to slow down, fight long for a few rounds, and pick his punches, but move and don’t go head hunting.

Unfortunately, the occasion got to the young man, but if he can learn from this, a world title is there for the taking. He has every attribute needed, and now he has experienced the lows of boxing. When he next gets dragged into the trenches, he should be much better prepared to come out the other side victorious. 

Featured Image Credit:

Queensberry Promotions