Hrgovic wins IBF world heavyweight boxing title as Itauma hospitalised

Filip Hrgovic is the archetypal Croatian to go a satellite heavyweight boxing champion aft beating Briton Moses Itauma.

Filip Hrgovic of Croatia bushed Britain’s Moses Itauma via a ninth-round stoppage to triumph the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) satellite heavyweight rubric successful a thrilling contention successful London.

Itauma, bidding to go the second-youngest heavyweight satellite champion aft Mike Tyson, was connected apical during the fight’s aboriginal stages but had to beryllium carried from the ringing connected a stretcher and taken to infirmary from the O2 Arena connected Saturday.

Facing the toughest trial of his 15-fight nonrecreational vocation against an experienced Olympic medal winner, the 21-year-old Itauma bushed against an hostile with a granite chin.

Itauma’s trainer Ben Davison threw successful the towel successful the ninth round, but by that clip referee Howard Foster had stopped the combat successful Hrgovic’s favour arsenic the Croat won the satellite heavyweight rubric vacated by Ukrainian boxing large Oleksandr Usyk.

It was Itauma’s archetypal clip beyond the sixth circular and astatine 1 constituent successful the ninth helium looked arsenic if helium was astir to topple.

Hrgovic successful enactment against Itauma [Peter Cziborra/Action Images via Reuters]

“I don’t cognize from wherever I got vigor successful that [ninth] round,” said the 34-year-old Hrgovic, astir arsenic spent physically arsenic his beaten opponent.

“It was truly not my strength. It was Holy Spirit. He gave maine spot successful this campy to endure everything, to person [the] champion campy of my life, helium enactment maine successful interaction with this large manager Abel Sanchez.”

Hrgovic saluted the courageous Itauma by adding: “I’m the present, and he’s decidedly [the] future. He’s an astonishing fighter. He’s 1 of a kind. He’s the champion I’ve been successful a ringing with, but helium needed much experience.

“I felt the gait of the fight. I knew I was losing rounds, but I knew that I had that gait successful my favour. He was gassing out.”

Itauma landed with respective consecutive near hands aboriginal connected and Hrgovic was fixed a lasting 8 number successful the 2nd aft being caught with a close hook.

Itauma’s uppercut astatine the extremity of the 5th circular had location fans successful a partisan assemblage lasting successful appreciation.

But travel the eighth, some boxers appeared retired connected their feet, with Hrgovic someway inactive lasting contempt respective punishing blows.

Hrgovic was landing almighty shots of his ain and, with a dazed Itauma lurching astir the ring, Foster called a halt successful the ninth round.

Promoter Frank Warren said aft the bout that Hrgovic is acceptable to adjacent combat Cuban Frank Sanchez, but the Croatian himself said helium alternatively wants to instrumentality connected WBO champion Daniel Dubois and past WBC rubric holder Agit Kabayel — some of whom were ringside astatine the O2 Arena.

“I privation unification. Frank Sanchez volition wait,” Hrgovic said.

Hrgovic’s lone nonaccomplishment came to Dubois successful 2024. Hrgovic was bleeding from heavy cuts supra his eyes that clip erstwhile the ringside doc recommended the combat beryllium stopped.