Moses Itauma Says Critics Don’t Want Him Tested They Just Want To See Him Get Hurt

Instead, he believes many simply want to see him hurt.

“The one thing that I necessarily don’t agree with is people are saying, ‘Oh, they want to see me tested,’” Itauma told IFL TV. “When they say tested, they want to just see me get hurt. That’s what they mean by tested.

“They want to see this whole, ‘Can you take a punch? Test your chin.’ But that’s not the meaning of tested. They just want to see me get hurt. I’m going to try my best not to, but obviously in boxing it’s probably inevitable. It’s just how you deal with that situation.”

Itauma argued that being tested should be measured by a fighter’s ability to solve problems inside the ring rather than by how much punishment they can absorb. He pointed to his victory over Jermaine Franklin earlier this year, explaining that he had to alter his approach after trying too hard for an early stoppage.

“Getting the rounds. You want to put on a bit of a show before you close it out,” Itauma said. “In the Jermaine Franklin fight, I tried to knock him out to prove a point, then I thought, ‘I might have started too fast.’ I changed the tactics, slowed it down a bit, and then got the knockout.

“I proved to my coaches that I’m able to change the tactics mid-fight.”

The Hrgovic bout should provide Itauma with another opportunity to answer those questions. The Croatian is a former Olympic bronze medalist whose only professional defeat came against Daniel Dubois in an IBF heavyweight title fight, making him the most accomplished opponent Itauma has faced.

A victory over Hrgovic would strengthen Itauma’s case for a shot at one of the heavyweight titles that became available after Oleksandr Usyk vacated multiple belts, while also giving him the biggest win of his rapidly developing career.