Moses Itauma faces scrutiny after heavyweight title loss to Filip Hrgovic

Following Moses Itauma’s ninth-round stoppage loss to Filip Hrgovic at London’s O2 Arena, boxing figures are debating the fighter's conditioning and corner management. Hrgovic secured the vacant IBF heavyweight title after Itauma, who had dominated much of the bout and scored a knockdown in the second round, suffered from extreme exhaustion in the later stages.

Boxing legend Barry McGuigan criticized trainer Ben Davison, suggesting the towel should have been thrown in sooner to protect the 21-year-old from unnecessary humiliation and physical danger. Conversely, former cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew expressed confidence in a potential rematch, arguing that Itauma’s technical superiority would prevail if his conditioning issues are addressed. While Itauma has requested an immediate rematch, Hrgovic is expected to defend his title against mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez.