Hrgovic Scored A Sensational Knockout Victory Over Itouma In The IBF Title Fight
- 30.08.2026, 9:15
The Croatian withstood his opponent's incredible onslaught and bided his time until the 9th round.
Croatian boxer Filip Hrgovic became the IBF heavyweight world champion. The 34-year-old boxer defeated 21-year-old Moses Itauuma in a very tough fight. Hrgovic knocked out his opponent in the 9th round.
This was reported by Sport RBC.UA.
Ituma vs. Hrgovic: Round-by-Round Recap
Moses Ituma came out strong and began bombarding Hrgovic with punches. Itauma’s perfect footwork and freshness created serious problems for the Croatian. In the second round, Hrgovic was caught by a side kick and went down. However, the Croatian fighter quickly recovered.
The third round suggested that the fight wasn’t quite so one-sided. Hrgovic seized the initiative and landed several blows on Ituma. The fourth round was a different story: Itauma dominated and landed a serious cut on Hrgovic.
In the fifth and sixth rounds, Hrgovic looked lackluster. Ituma completely dominated these rounds, and it seemed as though the Croatian was about to go down under a barrage of his opponent’s powerful and sharp punches. By the end of the sixth round, Hrgovic sensed his opponent’s fatigue and bombarded Ituma with punches, miraculously failing to knock him down.
Itauma had the better of the seventh round, but it was clear that Moses had physically slowed down; the spring in his step was gone. In the eighth round, the Brit chased Hrgovic around the ring and landed many accurate punches, but toward the end he faltered again, taking nearly as many hits as he had in the entire fight.
Hrgovic sensed his opportunity and, from the start of the 9th round, picked up right where he’d left off in the 8th. Itouma had visibly lost his strength and, at one point, simply could no longer stay on his feet. Ultimately, Moses Ituma’s corner threw in the white towel in the 9th round. Thus, Filip Hrgovic became the new IBF heavyweight world champion.
What Filip Hrgovic Said
The 34-year-old boxer explained his strategy for the fight, admitting that he knew he was losing but believed he still had a chance in the later rounds.
“That wasn’t me. It was Jesus Christ in me. I was losing every round; they were outboxing me, and I don’t know where I got the energy for that last round. It was the best training camp of my life and the best corner I’ve ever had,” Hrgovic said immediately after the fight.
Moses Ituma suffered his first defeat in the professional ring. And Hrgovic won the championship belt in his 22nd professional bout. The Croatian boxer’s next opponent will likely be the Cuban Frank Sanchez.