Moses Itauma missed out on the chance to become boxing’s second-youngest heavyweight world champion on Saturday night. Now, former heavyweight ruler David Haye has revealed whether he believes the youngster willl ever capture the heavyweight throne.
Tasked with Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic, Itauma started strong in what was his first main-event in the British capital, showcasing stellar speed and movement as he comfortably banked rounds and searched for a stoppage.
However, when Hrgovic refused to buckle like Itauma’s previous opponents, and his granite chin held up, it became a battle of the gas tanks. It was the underdog whose experience had him better prepared.
An exhausted Itauma was stopped in round nine, as Hrgovic became Croatia’s first ever heavyweight world champion in a triumph that will be discussed for years to come.
Speaking with Seconds Out, Haye explained why he is more convinced by Itauma’s ability after his first career defeat than he was beforehand.
“Let’s all get off of the, ‘he has been knocked down, he is not as good as we thought he was’ [way of thinking], he is better now, in my opinion, after the fight and after losing than he would have been if he knocked him out in one round.
“If he would have knocked Hrgovic out in one round, the questions wouldn’t have been answered. Now I know how good he is, I know he can slip, I know he has got seven/eight rounds in him of being able to do what he wants to do. He just doesn’t know how to pace himself, that is it.”
‘The Hayemaker’ – who suffered a similarly shocking loss to Carl Thompson early in his career before bouncing back to become a two-division world champion – then declared that he is ‘100%’ confident that Itauma will one day become the heavyweight champion of the world.
“Moses is so amazing, he is so good. He is going to be the heavyweight champion of the world, 100%, I know it.
“I watched it with my own eyes, I could see the punch variety, the way he was letting his shots go, everything was amazing. It was perfect.”
Itauma has since requested a rematch with Hrgovic, but it seems as though the 21-year-old will be set for a period on the sidelines and a slight step back in levels before another world title push.
Hrgovic moves on to a mandatory defence against Cuba’s Frank Sanchez, though he has urged promoter Frank Warren to book him a unification instead, with Daniel Dubois, should the Brit beat Fabio Wardley in their rematch next month, as his top target.
