The end, when it came for Moses Itauma, was as shocking as it was worrying. Late on Saturday night, moving into the championship rounds of his first world heavyweight title fight, the 21‑year‑old had dictated the pace and dazzled Filip Hrgovic with his speed and skill. The 34‑year‑old Croat admitted that he believed Itauma had won each of the first eight rounds.
And yet, in the fateful ninth, Itauma stumbled and weaved across the ring like a dazed and drunken kid. He looked lost and utterly spent. Exhaustion had reduced him to the point where, as the experienced Hrgovic tore into him, Itauma also resembled a rag doll on the ropes.
With the final two punches Hrgovic sunk a right into Itauma’s sagging body before nailing him with a pulverising left cross. It was so clearly over in that desolate moment that three things happened almost simultaneously. The referee jumped in to rescue the stricken fighter just as a white towel fluttered from Itauma’s corner, while Hrgovic wheeled away in triumph, his right arm raised in acknowledgment of a stunning turnaround.
There should be unstinting praise for Hrgovic’s courage and determination. He absorbed blow after blow with stoic fortitude and he was dropped only once, in the second round, when the speed of Itauma’s footwork and fists meant the older man did not even see the punch. But Hrgovic got up and he never looked like the thought of defeat crossed his mind.
Itauma began to grimace with effort and to breathe heavily between rounds. It was plain that he was struggling with the demands of the pace he had set while Hrgovic kept fighting back, landing heavy shots of his own. Over the past year Itauma had been subject to two serious and legitimate questions.
Would he be brave in a dog-fight? Itauma provided positive answers to both queries. However, two fresh concerns emerged and, ultimately, they derailed the hype-train which had gathered such momentum.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
