Unlike the Brit’s previous opponents, however, Hrgović did not capitulate. On the contrary, the Croatian kept coming forward, Rocky Balboa-like, Itauma’s punches appearing to have little or no effect on him. The only danger to Hrgović was his tendency to cut easily in his fights, with cuts being the reason for the Croatian’s only loss as a professional heavyweight boxer on 01 June 2024 to now WBO Champion Daniel Dubois.
As the fight went on, Hrgović came more and more into his own. In contrast, Itauma became more and more undisciplined as the contest wore on, often gasping for air. At the end, Itauma had become so ragged that he gave up trying to outbox Hrgović, and instead engaged inexplicably in a slugfest with the Croatian, of which Itauma was never going to be the winner, considering Hrgović’s wealth of experience. And so ended Moses Itauma’s dream of becoming the second youngest World Heavyweight Boxing Champion after Mike Tyson.
It would be cruel to blame Itauma entirely for his loss. Some of the responsibility for it must lie with his trainer Ben Davison, who was supposed to be Itauma’s eyes and ears in the ring, but may not have given his fighter the right advice. In this regard, the way Itauma fought in the 9th Round beggars belief. Apart from Davison, the boxing pundits in the UK must also carry their share of the blame for the Brit’s loss. They practically all predicted a victory for Itauma. The pressure this may have exerted on young Moses to win and win convincingly may have contributed to his irregular performance in the later Rounds, especially as these so-called boxing experts foresaw Itauma beating Hrgović by early stoppage.
In the final analysis though, Filip Hrgović must be congratulated for executing his gameplan against Moses Itauma perfectly. The Croatian studied Itauma’s previous fights, and knew that the 21-year-old had not been past six Rounds. Hrgović exploited Itauma’s lack of fighting time, aware that the Brit may tire in the later Rounds, whereas the Croatian has a reputation for becoming more dangerous the longer a fight goes on. In this regard, Hrgović’s strategy against Itauma was somewhat akin to the rope-a-dope tactics the great Muhammad Ali used against George Foreman in their famous Rumble in the Jungle in October 1974, when Ali allowed Foreman to punch himself out to regain the world heavyweight title. To be compared to Muhammad Ali is a massive compliment for Hrgović, which he richly deserves.
Further, Hrgović had to overcome a brief knockdown in the 2nd Round to come on to win. In addition, he beat Itauma in his own backyard, which is a considerable achievement.
The likable Filip Hrgović thoroughly deserved his victory against Moses Itauma on Saturday night. Filip Hrgović is the pride of Croatia.
Romer Cherubim
Freelance journalist
UK
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