Filip Hrgovic of Croatia defeated Britain's Moses Itauma by technical knockout in the ninth round, clinching the International Boxing Federation (IBF) world heavyweight title in a tense bout at the O2 Arena in London on the evening of August 29.
Itauma, 21, had been aiming to become the second-youngest heavyweight champion in history after Mike Tyson. He controlled much of the early fight but left the ring on a stretcher and was taken to the hospital right after referee Howard Foster stopped the contest in round nine.
This marked the first time Itauma had gone beyond the sixth round in his 15-fight professional career. His opponent, Hrgovic, is an Olympic bronze medalist with far greater experience and excellent chin.
In round two, Hrgovic was knocked down by a right hook, prompting the referee to give a standing count. Itauma repeatedly landed left straight punches and ended round five with a hook to the jaw that brought the home crowd to its feet. However, by round eight both fighters were visibly exhausted, but Hrgovic held firm and was ahead on the scorecards.
In the ninth round, Hrgovic dropped Itauma with a barrage of heavy punches. Itauma's coach Ben Davison threw in the towel, but the referee had already intervened to protect the young boxer. Hrgovic won and claimed the IBF heavyweight title, a belt vacated by Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk.
"I don't know where I got the energy in that round. It wasn't my strength; it was the Holy Spirit. He gave me the strength to get through the best training camp of my life," the 34-year-old said afterward.
Hrgovic also praised his young opponent: "He's a great fighter, a future star. He was the toughest opponent I've ever faced, but he needs more experience."
Meanwhile, Hrgovic revealed he wants to unify the titles by facing Daniel Dubois, the WBO champion who beat him in 2024, and then Agit Kabayel, the WBC belt holder. "I want unification. Frank Sanchez will wait," Hrgovic said of his immediate plans, referring to promoter Frank Warren having scheduled a fight with the Cuban.
