Moses Itauma suffered the first defeat of his professional career on Saturday night as Filip Hrgovic produced a remarkable comeback to stop him in the ninth round at The O2.
For much of the fight, that outcome looked extremely unlikely. Itauma was quicker, sharper and appeared comfortably ahead, even dropping Hrgovic in the second round. The 21-year-old then began to tire badly as the contest moved into unfamiliar territory, allowing the Croatian to increase the pressure until Itauma’s corner brought the fight to an end.
The scenes afterwards caused further concern. Itauma left the ring on a stretcher and was taken to hospital for precautionary checks, although Queensberry confirmed the following morning that he had been discharged and was back home with his family.
For a fighter who had barely experienced difficult rounds as a professional, it was a harsh first lesson at world-title level. It does not suddenly erase everything that made Itauma such an exciting prospect, but it has given him and his team plenty to work on.
For more on his background and rise through the heavyweight division, our Moses Itauma profile covers his career from the beginning.
What Happened to Moses Itauma Against Filip Hrgovic?
Itauma was attempting to win the vacant IBF heavyweight title and become one of the youngest heavyweight world champions in boxing history.
The opening rounds suggested he might do it.
His hand speed caused Hrgovic serious problems, particularly when Itauma was able to step in, land combinations and move before the Croatian could respond. He scored a knockdown in the second round and continued to have the cleaner work through much of the first half.
Even Hrgovic admitted afterwards that he believed he was losing virtually every round.
The fight began to change as Itauma moved beyond six rounds for the first time in his professional career. His movement slowed, the combinations became less frequent and Hrgovic began finding him with increasingly heavy shots.
By the ninth, Itauma was visibly exhausted. Hrgovic pushed forward, landed a sustained series of punches and forced the stoppage, becoming Croatia’s first heavyweight world champion in the process.
It was not a case of Itauma being completely outclassed. If anything, the strange part was how good he looked before the fight turned.
Why Did Moses Itauma Lose?
Fatigue was the biggest factor.
Before Saturday, Itauma had fought just 31 professional rounds and had never been beyond the sixth. Most of the excitement surrounding him had come from how quickly he was removing opponents, but those early finishes also meant certain parts of his game had rarely been tested. Hrgovic noticed that.
The new IBF champion said afterwards that he could see Itauma tiring from early in the fight and deliberately stayed patient, believing his opportunity would arrive later. Rather than trying to match Itauma’s speed, Hrgovic concentrated on surviving the difficult spells and making the younger man continue working.
That experience eventually mattered.
Itauma spent plenty of energy during the rounds he was winning. Once his legs began to go, he no longer had the same ability to step away after attacking and Hrgovic suddenly had a much easier target in front of him.
There are tactical questions as well. The Guardian’s post-fight analysis highlighted pacing and fight management as two of the main lessons to come from the defeat. Itauma had dominated most of the action, but he had never previously been forced to manage his energy through a long heavyweight contest.
That is very different from simply saying his conditioning is poor. Championship boxing demands knowing when to attack, when to take a round down and how to keep enough in reserve for the later stages. At 21, those are things he still has time to learn.
Was Moses Itauma Injured?
There were worrying scenes immediately after the stoppage because Itauma left the ring on a stretcher.
Frank Warren later said Itauma had also done something to his leg during the fight, while the boxer was taken to hospital as a precaution because of the exhaustion and punishment he had suffered.
The encouraging update came on Sunday morning.
Queensberry confirmed that Itauma had left hospital later that night and was back home with his family. There has been no announcement of a serious injury resulting from the fight.
So, while the stretcher understandably looked alarming, the latest information is positive.
What Did Moses Itauma Say After the Hrgovic Loss?
Itauma addressed the defeat publicly on Sunday evening and did not make excuses.
He acknowledged that Hrgovic had been the more experienced man and said the experience would help him in future fights. Most importantly, he made it clear that he intends to return.
That response matters after the first defeat of a young fighter’s career.
Until Saturday, almost everything had gone smoothly for Itauma. He had been unbeaten as an amateur, started his professional career 14-0 and stopped established heavyweights such as Dillian Whyte and Jermaine Franklin. This is the first time he has had to deal with the other side of professional boxing.
How he responds may tell us more than another first-round knockout ever could.
Will Moses Itauma Get an Immediate Hrgovic Rematch?
An immediate rematch currently looks unlikely.
Frank Sanchez is the IBF mandatory challenger and had already agreed to step aside temporarily so Itauma and Hrgovic could fight for the vacant belt. Sanchez’s team has since made clear that it expects Hrgovic to fulfil that mandatory obligation next.
Hrgovic has spoken about wanting unification fights with Daniel Dubois or Agit Kabayel, but the IBF situation may limit his immediate options.
For Itauma, going straight back into another world-title fight might not be the smartest move anyway.
Saturday exposed an area of his development that had simply never been tested before. A couple of fights against durable opponents capable of extending him into the later rounds could prove more valuable than rushing him back towards another belt.
You can see how the defeat changes the wider divisional picture in our heavyweight boxing rankings 2026.
What Is Moses Itauma’s Record Now?
Moses Itauma’s professional record is now 14 wins and one defeat, with 12 victories coming by knockout.
The Hrgovic loss is therefore the first defeat of either his professional or reported amateur career.
It also represents comfortably the longest fight he has experienced as a professional.
That context is important when assessing what went wrong. Itauma moved from destroying experienced opponents inside a handful of rounds to fighting a durable world-level heavyweight over a distance he had never previously reached. The jump proved too much this time.
Can Moses Itauma Still Become Heavyweight World Champion?
Yes, although Saturday showed why predictions of inevitable dominance were always premature.
The attributes that made Itauma interesting have not disappeared. His speed remains unusual for a heavyweight, he landed consistently against an experienced contender and he was comfortably winning large parts of his first world-title fight.
Hrgovic himself praised Itauma afterwards and described him as an exceptional talent, while also pointing to his lack of experience as a major difference between them.
There is a tendency in boxing to treat an unbeaten record as though it is the same thing as potential. It isn’t.
Daniel Dubois lost to Joe Joyce at 23 and was written off by plenty of people. He later became a world champion. Anthony Joshua suffered a huge upset against Andy Ruiz Jr and regained his titles six months later. Itauma is only 21.
What matters now is whether his team can turn the weaknesses Hrgovic exposed into something useful.
Who Could Moses Itauma Fight Next?
There is no confirmed next opponent, and Warren has suggested Itauma will first be given time away from boxing before any decision is made.
That feels sensible.
A return against another experienced heavyweight who can survive the early rounds would offer a useful test without immediately throwing Itauma back into championship pressure. The goal should probably be development rather than trying to erase the defeat as quickly as possible.
His next fight is unlikely to arrive immediately, but BetVictor’s boxing schedule 2026 will carry the latest confirmed dates as the heavyweight calendar develops.
What Happens Next for Moses Itauma?
For the first time in Itauma’s professional career, the next step is not about moving closer to a title.
It is about responding to a defeat.
Hrgovic exposed real issues around pacing and experience, but he also needed eight difficult rounds before those issues became decisive. Itauma had moments that showed exactly why there had been so much excitement around him in the first place.
The loss changes the conversation around the 21-year-old, but it does not need to end it.
If Itauma improves his pacing, learns how to manage longer fights and comes back mentally comfortable after the first defeat of his career, Saturday may eventually look less like the night the hype disappeared and more like the night his education properly began.
For the latest developments around Itauma, Hrgovic and the rest of the division, follow BetVictor’s boxing news.
