Tyson Fury believes Moses Itauma was pushed into a world title fight too early, and fears the consequences of his loss to Filip Hrgovic could extend far beyond a single defeat.
Itauma suffered the first loss of his professional career when Hrgovic stopped him in the ninth round to capture the IBF heavyweight title. The 21-year-old had enjoyed success early in the fight, but began to tire as the rounds passed before Hrgovic took advantage.
For Fury, the result reinforced concerns he had expressed before the fight. The former heavyweight champion says he warned promoter Frank Warren that Itauma needed another four or five fights before being thrown in at that level.
Tyson Fury Believes Itauma Was Rushed
Speaking with Gareth A. Davies, Fury argued that knocking out developing opponents is completely different from trying to do the same against an experienced, world-class heavyweight.
He believes Itauma’s rapid rise created enormous expectations without giving him enough time to develop the experience required for a long championship fight.
From my experience, I said to Frank Warren and I said to everybody who would listen, ‘too soon, this guy needs another four/five fights, what is the rush? He is 21.’
Fury went much further when discussing what the defeat could potentially cost Itauma. He believes the youngster had the potential to become one of boxing’s biggest commercial stars, but fears the manner in which he was beaten could change that trajectory.
They made a mistake and it has cost them. Not only has it cost Moses the 100-million-dollar career, I believe he was a billion-dollar athlete.
Fury’s concern isn’t simply that Itauma lost. It’s how he responds mentally and physically after suffering such a significant setback for the first time.
Fury Warns Comeback Won’t Be Easy
Itauma had built his reputation by quickly dispatching opponents during his rise through the heavyweight division. Against Hrgovic, however, he was forced into unfamiliar territory as the fight went deep.
Fury believes recovering from a stoppage like that can be extremely difficult.
It is very difficult [to bounce back], when you have been banjo’d like that, it is difficult to turn that around mentally, physically and emotionally.
That doesn’t mean Fury believes Itauma should be written off.
Instead, he thinks the matchmaking surrounding the young heavyweight needs to change. Rather than immediately putting him back against another dangerous contender or returning him to opponents he can blow away quickly, Fury wants to see Itauma face durable fighters capable of extending him without presenting the same level of danger as Hrgovic.
The objective would be to give Itauma rounds and allow him to become more comfortable fighting deep into contests.
It’s about getting the balance right; get him in with somebody who is not that dangerous, who is durable, who can take punishment and give him the rounds.
Frank Warren has also suggested Itauma should take some time away following his first professional defeat. Hrgovic, meanwhile, is expected to turn his attention toward a potential first IBF title defense against Frank Sanchez.
At only 21, Itauma still has plenty of time to rebuild. Fury’s concern is that after being fast-tracked toward a world championship, the next stage of his career needs to be handled much more carefully.
