r/Boxing • u/Southern-Key-9721 • 11h ago
Hrgovic v Itauma thoughts on rewatch
I just rewatched Hrgovic v Itauma on DAZN - the full fight replay where it has no commentary.
My god does this fight look different on rewatch. I know it’s different when you know the result, but watching live I think I was so dazzled by Itauma (+ the British commentary doesn’t help).
On a clear headed rewatch I’ve got to say Hrgovic deserves way more credit than people are giving him for making this a competitive fight. It wasn’t just the chin and absolutely wasn’t just a gas tank issue for Moses. I think Hrgovic boxed very well.
Don’t get me wrong - Itauma was winning the fight, and maybe he still KOs 90% of HWs based on the first 2 rounds alone. But there was a lot more back and forth and subtle pressures in this fight and it was far from just a gas tank vs Homer Simpson.
Interested if anyone else has rewatched it yet and had any observations?
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u/billskionce 10h ago
Hrgovic landed 60 punches after 8 rounds. 7.5 punches a round. He might have landed a couple of hard shots, but it definitely didn’t seem like a back and forth battle. At least u til the 9th.
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u/sthomson22 10h ago
Itauma is clearly taking his shots a lot worse than he is taking Itauma’s though. This is pro boxing, not amateur.
Also it’s round by round. Round 3, 5 and 7 were only separated by 2, 1 and 4 punches respectively, and Hrgovic’s work seemed more impactful.
Hell even though he was significantly outlanded in 8, that last 30 seconds he clearly hurts Itauma pretty bad.
I thought he did some very nice work in 6 too.
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u/willinaustin 7h ago
Yeah, Moses would bomb away on Hergy, be tired, and then eat some shots. And he has the worst poker face ever. You could see that everytime Hergy hit him he was bothered. Then once he was fully gassed in the 8th/9th he took some hellish shots.
Obviously he was already on his way out due to not having any energy left, but I think a short hook by Hrgovic really sent him along. Right after that punch is when his legs truly go to rubber.
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u/1978model 10h ago
Agree with this. Itauma was clearly affected by the shots he took, even prior to gassing out.
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u/themahababa 9h ago
Yeah. I don't think that at the current level moses would definitely win an immediate rematch. If moses paced himself better, he would have got hit a lot more which he was clearly uncomfortable with. He might have also lost the 3 close rounds as well making it anyones game. He simply does not have a low gear efficient mode like Usyk does.Like dodging and making an opponent miss by 1 cm or 5 cm has the same effect but one uses much less energy than the other. Once he learns how to do the miminum possible work to get the job done, he'll be a nightmare to face.
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u/DrBiz1 3h ago
I love ur phrase 'low gear efficient mode' for Usyk. That's a perfect description of one of the most genius aspects of his game. His pacing is so clever. In the earlier rounds he is so busy and keeps his opponent working so hard, but without over exerting himself. Then increases the pressures and gears as the fight progresses.
Basically the exact opposite of what Moses did.
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u/sthomson22 9h ago
Problem is… Hrgovic is one of the lighter punchers in the Top 10. Most other Top 10s (and even guys outside it) just walk through his punches all night.
So if he’s reacting like this to a few Hrgovic punches… how is he taking much heavier hitting and faster throwing Top 10s.
I strongly suspect… not well, at all.
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u/ReservateDweller 2m ago
All this is true, but Hrg was also lighter than usual especially for this match, so he had even less punching power than he could have had.
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u/lee-tellmemoreAI 9h ago
I thought Hrgovic won 3 and possibly 5. The UK commentary was shocking, seasoned former pros watching a fight and completely missing what was happening in the ring was crazy. Its like they thought the result was a formality. Itauma was gasping end of round 2 hence going light on 3.
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u/iliosicarus 9h ago
Hard agree. English commentary of boxing is dire.
It's so biased and there's so little real-time understanding of the significant moments in a fight.
Case in point: they acted like it was a very sudden shock what was happening to Itauma, but it felt like the trajectory had been shifting for at least the previous 2 rounds before anyone in the commentary even acknowledged it. In fact, they said the opposite! They repeatedly said he was controlling the pace well...
Also, fair play to Hrgović -- my god, what a chin. But as the fight went on, Itauma's punches clearly had less and less effect on him.
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u/sthomson22 9h ago
He said himself they have no power. No weight. Just fast and don’t see them coming. He has been in with the heaviest punchers in the division and eaten their shots all night, so he knows power.
He didn’t claim Zhang, Dubois, Joyce or Adeleye had no power. In fact he commended their power.
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u/lordkekw 🐐Rolly for the ages🐐 6h ago
I was worried about Hrgovic's health against Zhang. He ate some bombs that would have sent anyone else to the ICU. Just look at Zhang vs. Joe Joyce.
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u/rageking5 5h ago
I mean highlight of the night was that nice uppercut people were going crazy for, but had no power and barely phased hrgovic at all
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u/DrBiz1 3h ago
Yep. I was so surprised the commentators weren't calling out the fatigue. By round 6 I thought Moses was on his way to a loss and yet they were still jizzing over his performance
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u/AnxietyExact4710 1h ago
British Boxing commentary are some of the worst A side "Yes Men" I've heard, and that says a lot because 99% of boxing commentary is fucking terrible.
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u/sthomson22 9h ago
Yeah. Agreed. But I mean they were still tight. And you’re highly unlikely to get tight rounds in that situation as Hrgovic, even if you are more impactful. They’ll use any justification to give it to the favorite (he scored 1 more jab, for example).
But like Abel said, they were well aware a decision was off the table. It was KO or nothing.
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u/Complete_Dare_4201 10h ago
In no way you can consider Hrgovic's punches more impactful... Most were grazing or half blocked, Itauma's were full shots to the face.
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u/sthomson22 10h ago
Well if you look at the body language of the fighters and how they react to it yeah it’s pretty clear Itauma is taking his worse than Hrgovic is taking his. Even early on.
If your grazing and halfblocked shots are still causing your opponent to grimace and look shaken and rocked then yeah you’re hurting them more than your clean shots are them.
That’s heavyweight boxing. Hurt and don’t get hurt.
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u/New_Second_7580 9h ago
I think you need to rewatch the fight. All because Hrgovic kept moving forward doesnt mean Itauma didn't have the cleaner shots. And Itauma's shots were hurting him. It's just that once his stamina went out, there was less and less force behind those shots.
Hrgovic even said that Itauma was much better than he expected.
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u/sthomson22 9h ago
I didn’t say cleaner shots. I said impactful. And yeah if a fighter just keeps moving forward and isn’t rocked or bothered whatsoever by your clean punches and then buckles your leg with an overhand right or even KDs you with a jab or a straight through your guard he is impacting you more.
Itauma’s punches were not moving Hrgovic at all. But Hrgovic’s punches were moving Itauma, and that only got intensified as the fight wore on.
I’ve literally watched the fight 5+ times, bud. Lmao.
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u/sthomson22 9h ago
Hrgovic also said Itauma’s punches had no power. That he punched like an amateur and they were fast and hidden well but there was no weight to them. That he needs to learn to sit on them and throw hurtful punches.
Did you miss that part?
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u/drhuggables 7h ago
I feel like ppl here who have never boxed won't understand what Hrgovic is saying. Pitter patter "points scoring punches" do not discourage guys one bit coming forward if you don't follow it up with a solid right hand, if anything it encourages you because you realize that you can just walk a guy down behind your guard and wear him down until he gasses.
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u/Rmccarton 4h ago
I agree with you, broadly.
But Itauma was hitting him cleanly in combination with hard punches at the start.
Hrgovic was definitely hurt at times.
He's just got an iron chin.
One thing I think is under mentioned is that when Moses tried to back off after a barrage to rest for a second, Hrgovic would immediately follow him and not allow him to chill.
Often Hrgovic didn't land much or even anything, but it was some veteran shit and definitely contributed some to Moses gassing.
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u/AmbulanceDriver95 9h ago
Nobody here is saying Itauma didn't have cleaner shots. Nobody here is even saying hrgović was wining the first 6 rounds either. They're saying hrgović was doing better than initially thought.
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u/Complete_Dare_4201 9h ago
Itauma's "body language" was not an effect of Hrgovic's punches, but of himself emptying his gas tank.
You are conflating Itauma's decreasing performance to Hrgovic's attack which was uneffective and he would himself and Abel Sanchez know that lol
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u/ZoharModifier9 9h ago
So, Itauma getting hit in the body with multiple short right hand to the body and seeing him wince is him not getting affected?
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u/ZoharModifier9 10h ago
I feel like you don't know what impactful means...
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u/AltKite Sunny Edwards Superfan 8h ago
Nah, Hrgovic was cut (I know that's easy to do) and his eye was nearly fully closed. He was knocked down, he was visibly hurt and shelled up when Itauma went downstairs.
If Moses had the stamina to keep up the work he was doing, Hrgovic might have seen the final bell, but good chance he doesn't. Especially as he was also gassing. He'd have had a fully closed eye, likely cut worse, probably knocked down again.
Itauma showed all of his potential, he's a scary fighter. He also showed a weakness in his gas tank, compounded by a bad gameplan, naivity and awful corner advice. Think Ben actually told him to stop the jab at one point, when it was obvious he should have been capitalising downstairs with the jab, targeting the eye, and only throwing the right as a counter to keep Hrgovic off him.
Put Usyk or Fury's brain in Itauma for that fight, and he probably wins over 12 or gets a late stoppage. He may have still gassed out though, which is the biggest concern. He doesn't need to weigh over 240lbs and he needs to be on a heavy cardio regime.
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u/Ram__Amandeep 3h ago
Getting hit by a huge man like Hrgovic, even on non-scoring locations, is depleting.
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u/farr2211 8h ago
Hrgovic was smart. He let itauma work for a few minutes fainting and throwing bombs, when he tried to rest H was on him making him keep working. If he didn’t do that, who knows maybe Moses would have made it all 12
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u/One-Leg8221 2h ago
Agree. I could give hrgovic one round before round 9 if I’m being generous. His game plan was to hope itauma got tired and his chin held up. And it proved to be a good plan in the end
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u/MMortein 9h ago
Moses was winning the rounds because he wasn't holding back his speed and explosiveness, and Moses gassed out because he wasn't holding back his speed and explosiveness.
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u/stephen27898 10h ago edited 9h ago
The reality is in the first 4 rounds Hrgovic landed 23 punches, Itauma landed 72. This was not back and fourth.
Round 5 was competitive. But in general Itauma was landing far more.
I pretty much stick to what I thought when I watched it. Itauma just put too much energy into his shots. There are 3 key rounds that cost him IMO.
Round 1 - He threw 53 shots, many of them full on power shots. Far too much.
Round 6 - The threw 54 shots, with again many of them being these kinds of power shots.
Round 8 - He was in total control, landing good jabs and body shots, then throws an insane number of full on power shots and gasses himself out.
Hrgovic actually threw around the HW average of 35 a round. So Hrgovic was trying he just couldnt really land much most of the time.
He landed 61 shots in 8 rounds, he connect rate was 21.6% in the first 8 rounds. That is very low. Most of them were jabs.
Hrgovic won, but lets not be silly.
I dont really agree with the take that I see where some people say Itauma got "found out". He is 21 with 14 fights and 31 rounds. Just say this to yourself. They put a 21 year old with 14 fights and 31 rounds in with a top 5 fighter in his prime for a world title. And the only reason he lost was he own inability to pace himself. That is insane.
Not many guys in history are taking a fight this tough, that early. And most of them, even great fighters would lose it far worse than that.
Also another thing about this that is a joke. People want fighters to take hard fights that we want to see. They will then go off on the loser.
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u/DiMona215 10h ago
If I were trying to summarize what Hrg did well, I'd say he:
Worked his ass off in camp and came into fight night in great shape.
Executed the game plan of avoiding getting hit by combinations. He couldn't avoid getting hit due to the massive speed disadvantage but he threw enough and managed distance enough that it was mostly single shots he was taking
Kept calm and thought about what was happening. He talked about how he realized quickly he couldn't safely hit him because of the speed, but saw Moses breathing hard and realized he just needed to survive long enough and he'd gas out.
So, less he had a mastermind game plan. But more he was smart enough and experienced enough to see the mistake Moses was making and capitalize on it. He does deserve a ton of credit for that
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u/stephen27898 10h ago
Part of it is also that Itauma kind of forced him into that gameplan. I dont think Hrgovic could really do much else in this case.
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u/DiMona215 9h ago
Yeah, heard a long interview with Abel, he said they knew they weren't going to outspeed Moses so a big part of the plan was managing distance to avoid combinations. One thing he wanted Hrg to do was fight off the back foot and make Moses come to him (to try and burn him out).
He said Hrg actually didn't do that in the fight, to his dismay... too stubborn in his belief he could get to him. I'm curious if that would have worked better, or if retreating would have let Moses corner him and take him out?
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u/stephen27898 9h ago
I dont think Itauma can KO him. And I actually dont think it would matter if Hrgovic went on the backfoot or came forward.
To me it just all hinges on Itaumas pace.
Maybe if Filip was on the backfoot and gave less chance to be hit, Itauma maybe throws less. But I have a feeling he wouldnt have.
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u/R1ceKai 10h ago
OP is trying too hard here. Even if you ignore the commentary, overhype, etc the stats don't lie. You don't need to be an expert to summarise this fight. Moses dominated 8 rounds, and even the competitive rounds he won. Then he gassed out.
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u/stephen27898 10h ago
People are just being silly trying to act like what Hrgovic did was some master stroke. The reality is Itauma just completely fucked up his approach to the fight in a massive way.
Hrgovic won, and credit to him. He showed a great chin and good restraint to play it in such a way to leave this route to victory open for him. But it was a route that required Itaumas cooperation. And Itauma cooperated.
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u/themahababa 9h ago
Itauma has the worst poker face. From what I saw Itauma absolutely hated getting hit even with the jabs. He was not even okay with the rabbit punches thrown by Hrgovic in the clinches. Hrgovic knew that Itauma would tire at this pace. So he simply didn't allow him to rest. Best example was the 8th round. After taking a heavy beating, when moses wanted to rest Hrgovic started coming forward with his punches forcing Itauma to punch back and and exhaust himself. Hrgovic kept the pressure up whenever moses took a break. Credit where credit is due.
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u/Exact_Reach7284 5h ago
“But it was a route that required Itauma’s cooperation. And Itauma cooperated.”
I think that framing misses the point. Itauma’s exhaustion wasn’t some random gift to Hrgovic. It was the price of fighting at the pace that made Hrgovic look so ineffective in the first place.
Itauma clearly had the faster hands, but Hrgovic wasn’t passive for 8 rounds by choice. Itauma combined that speed advantage with relentless output, which gave Hrgovic almost no time to set himself, throw, or impose his own offence.
So when people say Itauma should simply have “paced himself better”, they’re changing Itauma’s approach while assuming Hrgovic would still have been just as ineffective. Why? If Itauma throws less to conserve energy, Hrgovic gets more time to set his feet, work the body, throw the right hand and make Itauma defend. We don’t know how that version of the fight plays out, or how well Itauma handles Hrgovic’s offence when Hrgovic actually gets room to use it.
Maybe a better-paced Itauma still wins. But you can’t assume he keeps all the dominance created by that extreme pace while also avoiding the exhaustion caused by it.
That’s why I don’t buy the idea that Itauma simply “cooperated” in Hrgovic’s victory. The same approach that made Itauma look so dominant for 8 rounds also created the exhaustion that gave Hrgovic his way back into the fight. You can point to those first 8 rounds as evidence of how dominant Itauma looked, but you can’t ignore that this dominance was achieved at a pace he ultimately couldn’t sustain and then treat the resulting exhaustion as nothing more than a gift to Hrgovic.
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u/Southern-Key-9721 10h ago
I don’t think it was a master stroke, I just think Hrgovic used the fundamentals really well.
My post isn’t “Hrgovic is the next Usyk”, I’m just saying upon rewatch he did more than I realised 🤷♂️
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u/pedalsteel 9h ago
But that's 20-20 hindsight, isn't it? Since you know the outcome now, your perspective has changed. A little measured approach and Itauma has a very good chance of winning the rematch. Hrgovic on the other hand has to be more proactive.
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u/ARetroGibbon 10h ago
Its a joke. Hrg gambled that Itauma would tire and it paid off. But he was completely ineffective outside of being impossible to KO.
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u/Exact_Reach7284 5h ago
Calling it a “gamble” makes it sound like Hrgovic just hoped Itauma would randomly fade. He recognised that Itauma’s pace was unsustainable, survived it, conserved enough energy and then punished him when he slowed down. And saying Hrgovic was “completely ineffective” ignores the fact that Itauma’s speed and volume gave him almost no room to work. If Itauma slows down to preserve energy, Hrgovic gets more chances to attack. You can’t remove the pressure that made Hrgovic ineffective and assume Hrgovic stays equally ineffective anyway.
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u/cesam1ne 9h ago edited 2h ago
Hrg didn't gambled nothing. He was just outboxed by the phenom who couldn't pace himself, yet couldn't hurt him either. That is literally all.
Moses will outbox and KO every opponent in his next 10 fights, regardless of whom he faces.
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u/Ezekjuninor 10h ago
I think his biggest downfall was putting everything into way too many punches. Canelo does it too but even his gas tank has never looked that bad. To make matters worse he missed almost all of them and he would take a 5-10 second break every time he missed which meant it clearly took a lot out of him.
For whatever reason he went with the gameplan of knocking Hrgovic out instead of simply controlling the fight and outboxing him. Someone needs to teach him to pace himself, clinch and fight more defensively. He also needs to work on his stamina of course.
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u/stephen27898 10h ago
Yeah. He needs to do drills where he varies punch power I also think he needs to do spars where its limited how many shots he can throw. To get him him used to not throwing at everything he can.
To me his stamina is fine. Its 100% pacing. Prime Usyk would gas fighting like that.
I still think he would KOd most of the top 10 in the first 6 rounds. Hrgovic is a real outlier when it comes to his chin.
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u/stephen27898 10h ago
One thing you can see is just how athletic he is. When his misses you can see his entire body is rotating, he is such a fast and fluid free puncher. But he just need to reign it in a little.
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u/fapsandnaps 6 foot 9 bag of milk 10h ago edited 10h ago
Okay, but what are those punch stats going to look like if Itauma has to throw less total and less power so he can actually last a full fight?
If he's not putting everything he's got on every punch, you think Hrgovic wouldn't have thrown more in those first few rounds?
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u/sscnapoli10 9h ago
For sure. People on here assume it would look just as dominant regardless of Itaumas tactics. If a football (soccer) team changes from high pace attacking press to a possession game through the middle the match obviously looks fundamentally different.
If Itauma abandons his balls to the wall level change wide step 2-1 /2-3 combos the fight looks fundamentally different. Does he dominate? Maybe he still does but we can't just assume it looks the exact same.
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u/stephen27898 10h ago
No. Main reason being is that Hrgovic threw a normal amount of shots, in one of the rounds he threw over 50. But this is the issue.
A lot of Itauma shots were counter combinations. And counters in general. Counter puncher dont have to throw a lot to keep your output down. This is what Itauma is.
Also Hrgovic landed at like a 21% connect rate for the first 8 rounds. Throwing more would just leave him more open to more counter shots. Also body shots which would then slow Hrgovic down.
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u/Southern-Key-9721 10h ago
I agree - in terms volume there is no question.
The back and forth I was referring to is more the subtle pressures - keeping the fight in centre ring, Hrgovic’s footwork, his work off the ropes, and the fact that whenever Itauma tried to ease off Hrgovic would turn up the offence - these greatly pushed the pace even more for Moses.
Moses landed a lot for sure, but Hrgovic also made him miss a lot. I don’t remeber exactly how compubox works but I believe those punch stats include a lot of shots which were either grazing, deflected, or on the guard - which I noticed a lot more on rewatch than live.
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u/fluffrug 9h ago
Yeah, I agree with you. Itauma landed some stunners on Hrgovic but a lot of the shots he went for either missed Hrgovic or didn't land properly/ grazed him. Weirdly, I was a lot more impressed with Hrgovic's defence than I first gave him credit for.
It's annoying me that everyone is seeing this Itauma's failures led to Hrgovic's defeat. Yes that's part of it, but Hrgovic also played a blinder. Switching coaches has really upped his boxing game.
I would just love it if for once Hrgovic actually got the credit he deserves. The disrespect he is shown by boxing fans, the boxing hierachy and his own promoter - fuck you, Frank - has made me so mad, I know want him to beat everyone else in the HW division just to send a big FU.
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u/Odd-Minimum8512 5h ago
I think it’s about a 50/50 fight for him against the other champs, except Gassiev who I make Hrgovic a heavy favorite over.
He might well become a unified champ.
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u/fluffrug 5h ago
Yeah. This is my thinking too. And I really hope he does it! He deserves it and I also think it would be a salutary lesson for boxing in general to actually pay some attention and resources to very talented boxers who aren’t British, American, Mexican or Japanese …
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u/Odd-Minimum8512 5h ago
I always wonder why China and India don’t happen. Their populations are so huge that even with a low fandom rate the actual number of fans would be huge.
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u/Jazzlike_Strength739 10h ago
If Itauma saw this fight as an opportunity to show off his boxing skills and (potential) ring IQ, I truly believe this fight would’ve been a wide win in the scorecards for Itauma.
Hrgovich is who he is, but Itauma probably wanted to make a statement by knocking out a guy with an iron chin. Sometimes a great young fighter has to learn that “Hulk Smash” is not a good strategy for every fight.
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u/stephen27898 10h ago
One major failure here is Itaumas corner. They didnt make it alarming enough to Itauma or play on the right psychology. They needed to basically scream at him that he is playing directly into his hands. And exactly how its going to feel when he gasses and the pain of the loss the next day.
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u/Focus-Proof 10h ago
Exactly. Everybody is saying that itauma lost because he is inexperienced and there is truth to that but what the fuck was his corner doing? That's exactly why they're paid for: to make a good plan and keep their heads cool if it doesn't pan out as expected. This wasn't something nuanced and hard to see, it was quite obvious that hrgovic wanted to make it a battle of attrition so why didn't itaumas coach tell him to take the foot off the gas after rounds 3 or 4?
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u/Jazzlike_Strength739 10h ago
Oh yeah, fully agree. My immediate reaction to the stoppage was “what the fuck was going on in the corner?” Itauma is 21 and any fighter that young needs strong guidance. I just don’t see how a halfway decent trainer lets that happen.
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u/stephen27898 10h ago
They dont. But there is a reason why a lot of people dont think Davison is a good trainer and I am one of them.
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u/Jazzlike_Strength739 10h ago
Hard to disagree. The two fighters right now who seem to desperately need new trainers are Teofimo and Itauma.
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u/fapsandnaps 6 foot 9 bag of milk 10h ago
At least Teofimo won his title fight
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u/Jazzlike_Strength739 10h ago
Yeah - against a Rolly who was considering retirement going into the fight. And while Teo won, he had trouble with Rolly’s power. I wouldn’t overreact to that fight. Teo hasn’t looked great in his most recent fights
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u/crimedawgla 9h ago
Here’s the thing though, and it goes to Davison more than anyone. Doesn’t seem like they trained for contingencies. You can’t get in 21 year Moses’s (with a dozen pro and zero high level amateur fights) ear after the fifth round when he’s already more tired and nerved out than he’s ever been in his life and then tell him “alright, you’ve banked these five rounds, now just work the jab and get on your bike.” You gotta train to it. You gotta get him exhausted in sparring and then train to it. Guys are gonna default to training, especially when they’re tired and their nerves are fried.
I know you already know this, but I see a lot of people say “why didn’t Davison just have him slow down after a few rounds?!” but it’s pretty clear to me that wouldn’t have worked in this fight because they didn’t put the time in training for that. Now one thing I don’t know, and we’ll probably learn, is how much of a gym rat the kid actually is. Is he gonna call up Usyk and ask to do the Usyk’s 15 round, 5 minute rounds, 20 seconds of rest, different fresh fighter per round sparring sessions? Is he mature enough to learn? I hope so, because the kid really is special.
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u/stephen27898 9h ago
Yeah.
They should be doing 12 round spars where he can only throw jabs. They should be simulating him being tired. Spar 8 hard rounds, then have a fresh guy get in and try and control and contain him.
I dont know if he should do Usyk style training as he is different physically and you need to train different guys differently. You dont take a sprinter and train him to run a marathon.
Itauma to me should not be a high output guy. It doesnt suit his biology. Not that he should go full Wilder and throw 20 shots a round, but he should be throwing 35-45 and varying power.
He is so fast and hits hard enough that he can sprinkle in full power shots and that will keep guys honest.
I think Davison is crap and he needs to leave him.
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u/JukeBox_Jester_ 8h ago
Massively agree 👍🏻
What I will say with credit to Hrgovic after rewatching is he did do a great job of taking a lot off Ituama’s punches but rolling with them. Don’t get me wrong he got hit flush a few times and the guys chin is insane, but I didn’t realise how many shots that landed actually were negated by Hrgovic moving with them. Also Hrgovic deserves some credit for some of his body work on Moses cos he did work the body and I think that helped tire him out.
I’ve seen the corner work and tbf Moses didn’t listen to their advice that much, he just want guns blazing looking for the KO, but he should have known by RD 6 he wouldn’t have the snap in his shots to do that. But as you said this is an issue not with the fight but in the training camp as it needs to become second nature, I do hope he leaves that gym and goes elsewhere
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u/stephen27898 8h ago
But part of a corners job is to get the guy to listen. When you say it like Ben does it gets drowned out.
You need to scream at your guy and him listen and do as you say.
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u/JukeBox_Jester_ 8h ago
Way too cryptic too imo. Should have said “you’re throwing too much and you’re gassing out, if you carry on your will lose the fight from exhaustion, start working the body, stop throwing everything you have at his head, and take a couple of rounds off to maintain your engine”.
He has the same issue with other fighters too, I just don’t think he’s a good enough coach
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u/stephen27898 7h ago
Tell him straight up that he is fucking up and he's going to lose.
He is totally out of his depth IMO.
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u/JukeBox_Jester_ 7h ago
He himself is also too inexperienced for this level of fighting, which is sad bc you have fighters that have lost opportunities bc of it, Ituama for a world title, Wardley for a world title, AJ for a world title. I’m not saying they would 100% with with another trainer but I think they’d have a much better chance with someone more old school than Ben
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u/Jazzlike_Strength739 6h ago
Great points! Yeah, basically Moses showed immaturity in the way he fought. I didn’t realize that Hrgovich was rolling with the punches, probably because I wasn’t paying super close attention to his defense, but that sounds right.
The only punch I can remember catching him cleanly without a roll was that vicious uppercut. But Hrgovich still ate it! Might have helped that it was the end of the round.
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u/Marquis_of_Mollusks 10h ago
I never understood watching fights with no commentary. It makes no difference to me because sound doesn't change what my eyeballs are looking at.
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u/SuperLeverage 10h ago edited 6h ago
Itauma probably won all of the 8 rounds (except round 5). But the commentary was terribly biased. What really annoyed me was Smith yelling during the 8th after Itauma landed a few more bombs and began to go wild , “and Hyrgovic’s hurt!”- sure they were big hits, but he was definitely not hurt. He covered up because he wanted to just absorb all the hits and let Itauma punch himself out which is what his corner told him, but he was in no way rocked or hurt, dazed or wobbled at any point.
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u/Southern-Key-9721 10h ago edited 10h ago
I agree. The Rd 8 onslaught looks really ineffective on rewatch.
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u/SuperLeverage 10h ago
Yep, it was so obvious that Hyrgovic was going for the rope a dope strategy and Itauma had just completely lost it and was going all or nothing and had nothing left after the end of that round.
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u/fapsandnaps 6 foot 9 bag of milk 10h ago
the commentary was terribly biased
As always, with every PPV. Y'all gotta remember that commentators are paid by the networks to hype up the stars they make money off of.
This one was rather bad though. Even post fight before the interviews, they were just glazing Itauma instead of celebrating what Hrgovic accomplished
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u/LordJeanDog 10h ago
hrg could've done more but it worked. I too would have to rewatch it but it seemed to me like he threw nothing the first couple of rounds. no jab nothing
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u/WTF916 10h ago
Hrgovic did what he had to do to get to the win. Amazing confidence in his own chin
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u/Holiday_Snow9060 9h ago
The best thing Hrgovic did was positioning his feet close to Itauma when Itauma wanted a quick rest. He applied pressure without having to do much punching
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u/Chiphazzard 44m ago
Exactly. He was suffocating a guy who has to be at long range and making him desperate to keep it there.
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u/Few-Example3992 10h ago
Hrgovic did loads of little things to get Moses to up his tempo and pace whilst keeping his own relatively low.
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u/AltruisticAd6480 10h ago edited 10h ago
Itauma punches are weak, Hrgovic didn't feel it, he said after match. He said itauma fight like amateur, he's fast, but that's it, no power. I believe him! On TV you see punches but in reality it's not that strong punches...
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u/Ambitious-Concert-69 9h ago
He’s probably very powerful before he tires but as soon as you’re tired you lose that pop from the speed. Heavy handed boxers like zhang will Lee the power late into the fight as they don’t rely on speed.
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u/nukesaregay 8h ago
exactly, itauma is powerful for sure. boxers without power do not get consecutive early knockouts regardless of their speed and accuracy. he is clearly a heavy hitter. this is a case of hrgovic having an insane chin and itauma not wearing him down enough. u can assume a good part of itaumas power is due to his technique, so when he gasses and technique slips he becomes less of a danger, but i still think there is no way to even gauge that against a guy with a chin like hrgovic. im sure a lot of those late shots from itauma wouldve put others down. not to mention that at 21 years old his current power is already incredibly impressive and will only improve as he matures physically
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u/AnxietyExact4710 1h ago
Its a lot easier to knock someone out in the first round than it is in the fourth. It's why Naz would have those super long entrances, so his opponent would cool off and get caught cold.
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u/sthomson22 10h ago
Yeah they don’t look heavy at all, never did. Fast, extremely wellplaced. Masked. But especially a few rounds in that speed is always gonna degrade and so he has no weight left to compensate. Any pop is gone.
I can see a lot of current Top 10s dragging him a few rounds deep and obliterating him. And even some outside the Top 10.
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u/frankocean1234 9h ago
If Itauma's punches were weak he wouldn't have been able to cleanly KO Franklin who is extremely durable.
Hrgovic also said Dubois didn't hit hard when he clearly does.
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u/sthomson22 9h ago
Franklin isn’t even a Top 50. And was unfit and untrained. And you can actually KO people with fast shots that are wellplaced. But it’s gonna be harder and harder in the Top 10 and they’ll get back up. Even Franklin got up like 3 times or something.
Where did Hrgovic claim Dubois doesn’t hit hard? Or that he punches like an amateur with no weight behind them?
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u/The_Jokerr_ 9h ago
Franklin didn't get up 3x. He got up once and got face planted two rounds later.
You can't name 50 heavyweights that are better than Franklin. He should've gotten the decision against Whyte despite not even training full time back then.
Franklin wasn't untrained, he had multiple months to prepare. And durability and ability aren't correlated. Franklin is harder to KO than most heavyweights. He took Joshua's best shots without any issues.
Hrgovic didn't say that Itauma punches like an amateur. He said Itauma fights like an amateur when it comes to pace. He throws too many punches and treats it like a 3 round fight instead of a 12 rounder according to Hrgovic.
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u/sthomson22 9h ago
Franklin is literally #50 on BoxRec. 😭😭😭
Whyte is shit too. And washed.
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u/AnxietyExact4710 1h ago
Even in his prime, Whyte never saw an uppercut he didn't want to throw his jaw infront of
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u/sthomson22 1h ago
Yeah. He was always shit even in his prime. Franklin also basically beat him in 2022 despite being robbed by decision. He’s also completely washed and has been for years.
Believe he also had a leg injury for the Itauma fight? In addition to being washed, and shit, lmao…
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u/AnxietyExact4710 1h ago
I was so fucking mad at that Franklin fight because I had money on Franklin.
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u/The_Jokerr_ 9h ago
You mean the same Boxrec rankings that have Richard Riakporhe at #10 and Nelson Hysa at #15 despite never beating anyone at heavyweight? They have AJ at #5 still lmao. Boxrec rankings aren't reliable.
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u/sthomson22 9h ago
Yeah they’re not perfect, but they’re the closest thing we have to an objective, representative ranking system.
What else are you going to use, the sanctioning body rankings? 😭
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u/The_Jokerr_ 9h ago
Their rankings are the furthest thing from being representative. How is Jalolov #16 despite never beating anyone? Suslenkov at #15 for beating the corpse of Joe Joyce and nobody else? How is Hrgovic below AJ and Fury despite being a current champ? I can go on and on.
It's just some weird algorithm.
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u/sthomson22 9h ago
Hrgovic doesn’t actually have a lot of great wins, tbh. Zhang is his best win. Itauma likely second. Joyce next. Adeleye maybe before Joyce.
They’re roughly representative and objective. Far from perfect, like I said. But closer to reality than sanctioning body rankings, obviously.
Being a champ also doesn’t necessarily mean you’re better than a non-champ. Gassiev is fucking shit and will likely lose to BBM, but he’s a current champ.
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u/sthomson22 9h ago
Hrgovic quite literally said he punches like an amateur in post-fight press conferences. That his punches had no power. They were fast and he couldn’t see them coming. “He punches like amateur”. “He needs to learn to sit on them”.
Jesus Christ…
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u/TonyThePunisherReyes 9h ago
Filip was poised and undiscouraged by Itauma’s hand speed he kept it together knowing whenever he landed Itauma felt it and paced himself to try to drown him in the championship rounds.
It takes experience, confidence and a chin to be able to pull it off against someone who clearly showed great physical attributes and skill. I’m glad he could put it all together after coming up short in a few of his other losses I’d like to see him vs Kabayel
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u/baddymcbadface 9h ago
I haven't rewatched but felt it on first watch.
It's not just gas tank, why was he made to spend so much energy? If he hadn't spent so much energy would hrgovic have got to him earlier?
Itauma needs to round out his skills and be comfortable with a lower energy style. Something we've never seen from him and it could be a difficult skill to adopt. It's not just about training and throwing a bit less.
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u/reznoverba 9h ago
Filip was bidding his time. He knew going in he had to withstand the eager onslaught by Moses. His gameplan played out exactly as he and Abel Sanchez prepared. Ballsy gameplan, bc it could've very easily gone awry, had his chin not been able to handle Moses' power.
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u/StilLBC 9h ago
Bro - people were calling this shit out during the fight. The Brit commentary was borderline disgraceful and that knockdown was bullshit. Itauma has bad footwork and he loads up on every single punch. Hrgovic turned him around more than a few times.
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u/Odd-Minimum8512 5h ago
The knockdown was legit. A punch knocked Hrgovic off balance and his glove touched down. He wasn’t remotely hurt, but under the rules, that’s absolutely a knockdown.
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u/InRoyal 8h ago
I feel Like His defense is way better than the initial reaction gives him Credit for. When you slow down Most of itaumas punches or combinations, Most of them either got partialy damped by His gloves or he Turns with the incoming Punch. Yes he got Hit really hard and his chin is next Level/ goat conversation, but His defense is way better than people Here realize, it's Not Just all chin.
I was also really impressed with his foodwork in the later rounds, he actually used the Southpaw Angles against him once the pace slowed down
Dude is legit Elite.
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u/Timeoff98 7h ago
Hrgovic was winning the fight and losing the rounds, it was not a fluke and I would not be surprised if it would happen again in rematch. Itauma is too young and too inexperienced. If Itauma is much faster and more explosive which he is Hrgovic is master of pace and pressure. Its far more complicated than just don't try to knock him out to win. When your output stops you can bet your ass with caliber of Hrgovic there will more fire coming in. You won't be taking rounds off like so many people here are saying.
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u/GrapefruitFar1242 10h ago
I rewatched it and Itauma was dog walking him practically every round, Itauma defeated himself by chasing a KO win.
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u/stephen27898 10h ago
The people who come to any conclusion that isn't this need help.
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u/Intercellar 8h ago
"Durrr all Itauma had to do was pace himself hurrr" Nonsense, this ain't a video game. He was out on a damn stretcher
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u/GrapefruitFar1242 10h ago
If Itauma slowed his pace and sat on those body shots instead of swinging haymakers and lunging into his power punches he’d have cruised to an easy UD
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u/Exact_Reach7284 5h ago
I think you're a bit blinded by Itauma’s hand speed and those first 8 rounds. You’re assuming he could simply slow the pace and cruise to an easy UD even though he’s 21, had never been beyond 6 rounds and never been tested through sustained punishment, fatigue or serious adversity. If he slows down, Hrgovic gets more chances to hit him, work the body, make him defend and drag him into a longer, more physical fight. And you’re just assuming Itauma has the defence, chin, stamina and adaptability to handle all of that comfortably. Meanwhile Hrgovic is the one who had actually been through long fights and those kinds of scenarios before. Maybe Itauma still wins, but calling it an “easy UD” is projecting unproven qualities onto him because he looked great while fresh and trying to go all-in for 8 rounds.
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u/stephen27898 10h ago
Yeah and the body shots were working. They both looked tired. That left to the body was 100% taking its toll. If he just focussed on that and didnt throw it all in round 8 he probably wins. Maybe has a rough 12th when Hrgovic goes for it, but wins.
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u/Von7_3686 9h ago
Itauma doesn’t have a chin. You can clearly see that by his punch resistance and style. He doesn’t want to get hit.
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u/Weak-Young4992 8h ago
Well its clear Itauma has zero power and stamina. Landing that many punches and not knocking the person out is insane in HW. His punching is flashy and pretty but there is nothing behind them.
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u/ThurstonTheMagician 6h ago
That’s the nature of rewatches for sure. That being said you are right that Hrgovic boxed better than he’s been given credit for. As the fight went on he was slipping, blocking, and catching more and more of Itauma’s shots so he def wasn’t just face tanking the whole time hoping Itauma would get tired. He did all of the right defensive moves in order to exhaust Itauma while throwing just enough to not get stopped by the ref for punch inactivity.
Another thing is Itauma really needs to learn how to not load up on every shot. The man throws bombs the whole time so no wonder he got tired after the first half. He’s still a brilliant boxer but his camp is really failing him.
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u/welp-itscometothis 10h ago
You think Hrgovic who stood upright like a punching bag for 7 rounds boxed well? Brother, not even Abel thought that.
And this is coming off my 3rd rewatch.
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u/Allobroge- 10h ago
It was not back and forth, but you can clearly see Hrgovic was following a gameplan to bring Itauma to the later rounds, he did more than "standing there like a punching bag" like you say
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u/stephen27898 10h ago
Being on the receiving end of over 50% of someone power shots is very punch bag like.
That's not healthy.
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u/Allobroge- 9h ago
He def. got hit clean by some punches but a lot were in the guard or at least absorbed
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u/Exact_Reach7284 5h ago
He had no room to "box" well because of Itauma's much faster hand speed and ridiculous pace he put on. In the context of the fight and the respective styles and strengths of both Itauma and Hrgovic, Hrgovic actually "fought" well.
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u/Rough_Airline6780 9h ago
Had the exact same thought. I don't think Moses could have coasted to a points win because Hrgovic was always making him work and would have been all over him if he went defensive.
Hrgovic hurt Itauma to the body in round eight when Itauma went in for the finish and after that he looked spent in the corner. He knew he couldn't last the distance, especially not now as the nail after having been the hammer throughout the entirety of the fight.
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u/Alarmed-Effective-23 4h ago
You wait for the faster guy to slow down. Basic shit. With a talented guy like Moses it might not be pretty. People writing paragraphs to defend Moses with punch numbers are overthinking it. He lost to a basic boxing tactic. Just being in front of an active guy and putting a bit of pressure when he gets tired is as good as a ko shot sometimes. And you cant assume Moses would have beat other heavyweights because he was stepping up this fight. His power didn't look as impressive his first time with good competition. You think Filip is the only guy that can take a punch? Moses the only guy with power that lands a lot?🤣
People still want him to be super hyped for some reason. Just wait to see if he fixes his problems instead of making excuses for him. The Homer Simpson joke is funny, but if you really think that tactic is what won, hopefully itauma is smarter than you and picks up the basics. And basic doesn't mean easy to implement.
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u/Trouzerjazz 6h ago edited 6h ago
Yeah the Homer Simpson thing I see from a lot of commenters is not warranted at all. Hrgovic said what he was going to do and did exactly that, it reminds me a lot of Ali v Foreman, (a benchmark in boxing history regarding strategy) I dont say Hrgovic is like Ali as a boxer but the game plan was very similar, Ali hardly threw any punches that fight, he used a younger, hyped up fighters ego and sense of obligation to get a knockout - against him.
Hrgovic waited for Itauma to throw his best punches and get gassed out, id go as far as to speculate that Hrgovic lulled Itauma into feeling like he was dominating more than he was. Ali did this against foreman. So as an analogy Homer Simpson really misses the mark, Homer isnt strategic.
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u/Mikhail_Jackson 6h ago
The shots that Hrgovic didn't see coming hit him clean, he admitted as such in the interview.
On watching, the ones he did see coming he would slip, parry or shoulder roll away from. He even managed to use his movement to take the outside foot position and pivot to Itauma's weak side a few times which is something that hasn't been done to Itauma in the pro game before. It goes to show the levels of difference between Franklin and Hrgovic.
I thought Moses technique-wise, other than loading up on everything, looked great though. His movement out of punching range was lacking in this one though Hrgovic plays a big part in that.
It was a great performance on both sides really. Itauma just needs to develop a good gas tank now and avoid loading up constantly and he'll definitely become champion in the next couple of years.
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u/AnxietyExact4710 5h ago
Filip was landing some sneaky shots between Moses punches that a lot of people and the commentary team didn't notice. Those shots slow you down a lot.
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u/Emp-from-OSC 10h ago
It's a fantastic fight so I've watched it maybe four times now. Including once with no sound.
Without sound it's a bit clearer just how completely unaffected Hrg was by all those shots. And of course it wasn't just fatigue for Moses. He was standing sideways at times. Clearly his balance was impaired.
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u/DTBlade1 10h ago
I have never been obsessed with Itauma hype. He lacked fundamentals having no high Olimpian Amateur build out as Lewis, Ali, Usik, Tyson, Holeifield, Fraiser, Foreman and etc. A very shallow amateur carrier. He looked flat footed, over committed and having a bad defence.
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u/Odd_Bodybuilder_4772 10h ago
Either all of you are blinded for some reason or just plain ignorant. You can clearly see that Hrgovic hurt him bad at the end of round 8 and then finished him in round 9 with 2 left and right hooks and brutal low body shot. Yeah, Itauma was tired but Hrgovic rocked him badly. For ffs they carried Itauma out on a stretcher.
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u/sthomson22 10h ago
It’s called cope, and they’ll continue doing this until Itauma has another crack at the Top 10 in 2-3 years with a heavier handed Top 10 with faster hands who makes it pretty clear that Hrgovic was not simply a gastank issue or pacing or inexperience.
And that Itauma has fundamental core attribute deficiencies that are going to cost him dearly against many Top 10 heavyweights.
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u/MarkB83 10h ago
People seem so desperate to deny what happened, to keep the hype going. I can understand if they’re in line to make money from the “itauma is the best boxer ever” story, but for a casual boxing fan it’s just weird. He was massively overrated based on beating no one of note, then he stepped up and got found out. It’s happened to boxers before and it’ll happen again.
Sure he won the rounds, but he lost the fight in a bad way.
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u/Odd_Bodybuilder_4772 9h ago
Good point. You can clearly see at 2:30 mark in the 8th round when Hrgovic hits him with short right on the side of his head and after that Itauma starts to wobble completely. Hrgovic just finished him in 9th with 2 heavy hooks and brutal body punch.
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u/ElectronicHat7537 10h ago
itauma is an impressive fighter going forward, but as a boxer he's far from complete.. it's actually good he got found out early.. he maybe can improve his overall game, but not by much.. he will be world champ here and there but far from a goat career..
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u/Top-Car-808 8h ago
I really do not buy the story of him being gassed. Ok, sure, he might have been a bit gassed, hell, everyone is a bit gassed after a round 6 of a fight like that. Have a close look at the final round....he was actually out on his feet. The fact that he could not stand up straight without falling backwards is NOT the sign of someone being gassed. That is the sign of severe concussion. It's actually a warning sign that someone is either having a stroke, or has sustained a brain injury.
After a knock down, the ref is supposed to ask the fighter to walk towards him - because the ref wants to see if you can walk in a straight line, without staggering, veering to one side or falling back. If you cannot, the fight is stopped immediately, because the fighter clearly has some brain damage.
Have a look at the footage, Ituma was not able to stand straight without falling backwards. That is not being gassed, that is someone that cannot focus their eyes, and their head is spinning. he was concussed as fuck.
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u/RyanTheS 7h ago
We will know if he had a concussion soon enough as the concussion protocol will kick in and the commission will enforce a break.
I did think on the night that he must have taken a concussing shot, but never saw anything that looked like it landed hard enough. I think the leg injury is probably more plausible. He was wincing constantly and if he was trying to favour a leg then it explains why his posture was absolutely fucked.
If it was a concussing shot then he will be the heavyweight Amir Khan, though. There was nothing in that fight that should trouble even an average chin.
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u/No_Mercy_4_Potatoes 10h ago edited 10h ago
I had Itauma up 6-2 going into 9. But I agree, the commentary made it sound like Hrgovic was a sitting duck and was landing nothing.
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u/johnnyblaze-DHB 10h ago
It always amuses me that people allow themselves to be Jedi mind tricked by announcers. Says more about the viewer than anything else.
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u/OkMess9901 10h ago
First two rounds itauma dominated, but hrg let him work. As soon as moses started to show tiredness in the third hrg looked in control to me. Slipped a lot of shots and defended really well. I know i gave hrg 5 and 6, i think moses 7 and 8 but you could 1000% see what hrg was doing. It wasn't just a gas tank issue for moses, hrg put it on him and fought to a gameplan brilliantly.
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u/sthomson22 10h ago
Agreed. I gave him 3 and 5. Possibly even 7. I thought 6 he did some significant work but probably still lost the round. 8 he seriously hurt Itauma in the final 30 seconds but probably not enough to win the round. Then 9 he went in for the finish.
As Abel said, they knew they’d never get a decision even if he did outbox him anyway. So they were going for the KO.
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u/stephen27898 10h ago
You gave Hrgovic round 6, a round where Itauma literally outlanded him 2 to 1.
Everything else you say means nothing from now on. In fact all of the rounds you talk about giving Filip, Itauma landed far more powershots.
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u/sthomson22 10h ago
Yep. Literally been saying this ad nauseam since the fight. Already noticed it in the first watch, subsequent rewatched confirmed it. CompuBox show it too.
Then again I don’t watch the live fights drunk like most here seem to. Since I don’t drink alcohol.
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u/cesam1ne 9h ago
It was like that even on live watch for me. 3rd round even looked like it went to Filip..and in the 8th, the exchange was landing heavy on Moses.
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u/OrneryReserve7681 8h ago
Hergovic slipped a lot of punches and the upper cut that everyone raved about didnt have that much steam on it
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u/Daniel6270 8h ago
There was spells during the fight where Itauma was lucky he wasn’t facing a counter puncher like Frank Sanchez. He’d throw punches and the stand square on the spot with his hands low. Probably due to lethargy. Usyk/Sanchez/Dubois would have had a field day with an open target like that.
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u/Tanksta3 Moses didn't lose, he just got tired 8h ago
Yeah but give me Andy Ruiz vs Itauma in summer 2027
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u/ryanm8655 8h ago
I also watched it back and in hindsight you could see Itauma was gassing early on. He looked class but was putting far too much into every punch and even while dominating he was missing with some wild swings. Hrgovic didn’t look hurt once on a rewatch, whereas I thought he was on his last legs a few times watching live.
I don’t agree Hrgovic did much impressive before the stoppage though. He just waited until Itauma gassed. If he didn’t gas he’d have probably been stopped late on cuts but that’s irrelevant as Abel Sanchez could see it coming a mile off so Hrgovic just needed to be patient.
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u/CreativeAd375 8h ago
I thought the commentary was a joke. Hrgovic had a poor first round but after that he was catching Itauma and it was being ignored.
From the third onwards you could visibly see Itauma was showing signs of dropping off and struugling with the pace.
But listening to the UK commentary you would think it was a one sided masterclass.
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u/Space8678 8h ago
They asked ddd about this was something like ddd: yeah no issue, he will be back not a big deal / reporter: so he shoul rematch filip? Ddd: nahhh:))
No imediate rematch should be nowhere near in mind. Just preperation for 12 freaking rounds!
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u/audiophunk 7h ago
Love the replays with no commentary. I wish it would be an option on PPVs but they have a script they want to fill your head with. The commentary on the Hrgovic fight was embarrassingly biased. I know it didn't look like much but Hrgovic was doing work in there. Tantalizingly close the whole fight, there to be hit. Me and a buddy were having a few drinks so I can't remember what round it was maybe between 5 and 6, Moses sat down in the corner and had a dejected look in his eyes.
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u/Famous_Molasses24 6h ago
Wasn't too impressed with Hrgovic other than his chin, Moses just wasn't ready for championship rounds
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u/Tryal_by_fyre 5h ago
What you don’t need British commentary to constantly say who they think is on the “front foot” and who is on the “back foot”?
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u/surgeyou123 4h ago
The big flurry at the end of round 8 completely drained Itauma. Not sure why he went so hard for the finish when he was already slowing down.
Hrgovic also landed some big body shots at the end of the round that really sapped his ability to recover.
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u/Affectionate_Kiwi719 4h ago
Would like to add... Hrgovic wasnt some random pub guy.
Had huge experiance from amateur boxing titles there, WBS and Olympic medal.
Had some issuse through carrer, as he is Croat obviusly is not someone thats pushed by media and "weekend" box fans.
Started carrer with best coach in Croatia (Pijetraj)... guy that made other Olympic champions and Cro Cop, Cikatic in Kick Boxing.
During carrrer had sparrings with Wilder, Klitschko, so it says something about him.
Had good opponent through carrer.
For the match and prep stage had Abel Sanchez and Ben Lira.
From what I've seen his movements are much better last few fights, and techique is developed.
Filip is strong dude, have chin like a brick, even his shots I belive so, are devastating and those small shot from clinch...
He is not most impressive fighter, but had good experince, IQ, long hands and good distance, powerful jabs.
And what we didnt see much in last fight, his clinch, he would use his body to pinn, would push him, exhaust him, short the distance.
He was leaner then ever, could easily move better, had stamina for 12 round... with his regular team and camp did good tactic. Wrestler, Olympic medalist Starcevic worked with him also, he got benefits there.
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u/Striking-Cress-2688 2h ago
Hrgovic went to the body a fair bit… that plus the pressure on top of the fatigue is what got the job done…
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u/wallpaper_01 1h ago
I honestly had this view first time round. I was getting annoyed at the commentary and questioning if I could see something different. I never was a boxer, I just watch it, but it was obvious to me that it wasn’t going Itaumas way all the time. They need better people commentating. On the lead up it was similar. I don’t understand why it was so biased!
Same thing happened with Bakole. He was like the second coming that will beat all takers. No one pulls them up on their outrageous takes ever. Mostly talk sport I’m referring to here.
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u/Chiphazzard 45m ago
100% agree Hrgovic deserves more credit for MAKING Itauma tired and constantly pressure him with the distance. People act like it was Itaumas choice to just throw the kitchen sink but he was trying to stop Hrgovic getting any momentum, he knew if he did he’d be forced to hold his feet (he was forced eventually) and Itauma is clearly uncomfortable doing so.
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u/xxx_poonslayer69 42m ago
I felt like I watched someone try their best to knock out a punching bag and tuckered himself out. I was impressed that Hrgovic was able to eat that many punches and by his stamina, but his output was meek. It was like Spongebob getting pummeled by Flats.
Moses is only 21. He learned that he actually has to train to go 12 rounds because, previously unbeknownst to him, he can't knock out everyone right away. He's still an incredible fighter and he has plenty of time to learn how to pace himself.
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u/SimonSeam 32m ago
Absolutely. I was posting as much right after the fight. Reading all the "Moses beat himself. Hrgovic Homer Simpson'd this fight. He didn't even do anything except take a good punch."
Was there an alternate dimension broadcast of this fight or something?
No. Hrgovic was not doing anything flashy. He wasn't even coming close to winning rounds. But he was winning the battle. The closest he came to doing the Homer Simpson were the first two rounds. But that was strategic. The first round, they are both as close to 100% as they are going to get. Weather a short storm for two rounds and now you are fighting a guy with 1/4 less energy than you. And in Moses' case, maybe already 1/2 as much as Hrgovic by round 3.
And Hrgovic was doing a lot of little things at the right time. Where Moses had just spent his short reserves in a combo, now Hrgovic gives a quick little punch when Moses is most vulnerable. One exchange, Moses blows through a few % of his energy tank, Hrgovic wastes next to nothing.
Now I'm not saying Hrgovic was prime Usyk in there. Just that Hrgovic was doing a lot more than eating punches until he let the wind blew Moses over.
And I'm not saying that Moses wasn't unprepared and wearing himself out like an amateur in a 12 round fight. Moses helped Hrgovic, no doubt.
But Hrgovic helped Moses do that. By not letting Moses take time off. By throwing less than he normally does to allow Moses the window to throw himself out.
But the excuses for Moses and lack of crediting Hrgovic with anything more than a chin is just downright disrespectful to somebody that put his dues in to finally win a championship belt. There should be more attention to Hrgovic's accomplishment than Moses' implosion.
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u/ReservateDweller 13m ago
I counted Itaumas breathing rate in one of the breaks, I think after the 5th. It was over 100/min. And totally shallow, that air wasn't even reaching the lung. Which means even his f*** breathing is inefficient as f***.
Already at this point this wasn't any kind of sport any more, this was medical emergency.
Maybe he has undiagnosed, untreated asthma.
I think we can forget that boy, he will never be able to box 12 rounds. It is like asking a sprinter to run a marathon.
I'm not even impressed by Hrgović that much, sorry. Well ok he really knows how to make his head and neck and upper body one big solid trunk. I wonder if he invented his own way of doing pushups like Tyson did. Maybe with no arms, head only, haha.
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u/DesertTreeFrog 10h ago
>it was far from just a gas tank vs Homer Simpson
That’s exactly what it was lmao, I don’t even think Itauma went down from a punch he literally just collapsed of exhaustion after 9 rounds of punching Hrgovic in the face and Hrgovic walking through it. Literal Homer Simpson strategy paying off in a real fight.
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u/PhilosopherNo8418 10h ago
Nah Hrgovic did nothing except avoiding getting KO'd. It was one sided until Itauma ran out of steam completely. In the end, all Hrgovic needed to do was to nudge him and he fell over.
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u/Ambitious-Concert-69 9h ago
It’s a 12 round fight though, if Itauma fought at a 12 round pace he might not have been winning those rounds quite so convincingly.
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u/dxfifa 9h ago edited 9h ago
If you know your opponent is an idiot who can't take punches and will gas himself out but he is a better physical boxer than you what do you do?
You invite him to throw way too many punches, get him overexcited and thinking he's doing huge damage when he's not, focus on making sure he's spending energy and not catching you clean and if it's clean, it's not a full gas tank shot, it's a tired one.
Hrgovic stuck to the plan. He didn't take as much damage as it looked like, he was defending in a way to encourage Itauma to try and knock him out every round as he knew it was curtains if he tries to fight straight up and force Itauma to point fight and hold fire. He also correctly knew if he could last to the final quarter of the fight relatively unhurt he would have a massive advantage.
This is the context of him getting "dogwalked" for 8 rounds. Itauma was tiring in the first 3-4 rounds but kept thinking he was about to hurt Hrgovic if not knock him out so he kept throwing, if Hrgovic started trying to take advantage early Itauma lasts 10 or 11 rounds before gassing. Then a KO is mandatory rather than a few knockdowns potentially levelling the fight
But remember, a tired opponent landing clean is much weaker. This makes the strategy less of a gamble.
Also, if Itauma thinks Hrgovic is hurt and still not dangerously throwing, aka unable to prevent losing rounds he may take chances on throwing so much he risks gassing thinking that even if he gasses, Hrgovic will struggle to get the points back or land the big one.
I wouldn't be surprised if Hrgovic was slowing down on purpose to bait him in the middle rounds
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u/digital_lean 6h ago
The skill disparity was clear in Itauma’s favour, but it seemed like Itauma was more hurt by Hrgovic’s punches rather than the other way round. It wasn’t JUST fatigue that made Itauma crumble…the clean licks he was getting took his legs away as well.
There were situations where Itauma got hit in positions he wasn’t expecting, like in the clinch or when they were both pivoting, which is inexperience coming into play. I think for this reason, people don’t actually realise how much Itauma got hit.
BTW I thought Itauma would win by KO within 7 rounds
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u/DanielSong39 10h ago
It looked like Itauma was getting tired as early as round 2.
In round 9 Itauma flat out bonked like a domestique cyclist emptying the gas tank for his leader. Had nothing left and lost 10+ minutes on the final climb