Filip Hrgovic says beating Moses Itauma finally got him the attention he had been chasing.
The IBF heavyweight champion spoke to Ariel Helwani about his run since stopping Itauma in the ninth round at The O2 in London on August 29. Hrgovic went in as the opponent for a night built around the 21-year-old, who was trying to become the youngest heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson. He says that changed once the fight started.
Finally I got the attention that I wanted and I needed,” Hrgovic said. He described the win as the moment he got to show his character and full potential.
Hrgovic also pushed back on the idea that Itauma simply tired himself out. He said Itauma faded because of the pressure he was under, and that the fight was less one-sided than people made it sound, pointing to body work he felt went unnoticed.
It was Itauma’s first professional loss. He had never gone past the sixth round in his first 14 fights and tired visibly after controlling the early rounds, while Hrgovic got up from a second-round knockdown. Itauma’s corner threw in the towel in the ninth, and Dave Allen warned Itauma after the knockout loss.
Hrgovic is expected to make his first defence against mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez, though he has said he would rather face Daniel Dubois, who stopped him in 2024, or WBC champion Agit Kabayel. Dubois said after beating Fabio Wardley on October 17 that he wants a rematch, and Hrgovic gave his own verdict on Wardley’s future from ringside.