Filip Hrgovic believes that Moses Itauma might never suffer another loss if he can overcome the "humiliation" of his recent IBF heavyweight title defeat. Hrgovic, 34, stopped the previously undefeated Itauma in the ninth round of their bout at the O2 Arena in August, a fight in which Itauma, 21, had been the strong pre-fight favorite.
Early in the contest, Itauma appeared to have the upper hand, even sending Hrgovic to the canvas in the second round. Hrgovic acknowledged that he was "outboxed" in the initial stages of the fight. However, as Itauma tired, Hrgovic seized control. Despite the outcome, Hrgovic praised Itauma's considerable skill set, suggesting that the young southpaw could achieve significant success if he learns from this experience.
"He's really good. He's special. Very fast, very talented and he countered whatever I tried with his speed and timing," Hrgovic stated. "I never was in the ring before with such a talented kid, with such a fast guy. You have some fast guys but they're small heavyweights. You can handle them with your power but this kid is fast and big. He's got great IQ and great talent."
Hrgovic expressed lingering frustration over being outboxed, noting it was an experience he hadn't had in his two-decade boxing career. "I'm still kind of angry because he outboxed me. In my whole career, in 20 years of boxing, I was never outboxed in any sparring or any fight," he said.
While Hrgovic, who aims to unify the heavyweight division, lauded Itauma's technical abilities, he raised questions about the young fighter's mental fortitude. "It was big shock for him, big humiliation, so maybe it's end of his career if he's not mentally tough. If he recovers from this loss, mentally, it will be hard for anyone to ever beat him again," Hrgovic commented. "A lot of people after that kind of loss, they never come back. So, it will be a hard journey for him to come back. You have to go through a ruthless, hard training camp. You need to go through hell to be mentally ready for this. I think he was physically ready but it's the mental part."