Carl Froch has considered how the “mental scars” of losing to Filip Hrgovic might affect Moses Itauma’s chances of becoming a world heavyweight champion.
The 21-year-old had the opportunity to do exactly that last Saturday, only to empty his gas tank and succumb to a ninth-round stoppage at London’s O2 Arena.
Prior to the finish, Itauma seemed on his way to becoming the second-youngest world heavyweight champion in history, having scored a second-round knockdown and established his dominance.
By constantly attempting to knock his man out, though, the Brit was becoming increasingly fatigued and afforded himself virtually no energy for the later rounds.
As a result, Hrgovic was able to take advantage and force an intervention from referee Howard Foster, after having remarkably soaked up all of Itauma’s best shots.
And, in doing so, the Croatian succeeded in not only pulling off a major upset but also becoming his country’s first-ever world heavyweight champion.
Itauma, meanwhile, is capable of coming back stronger after falling short in his attempt to claim the IBF title, which was vacated by Oleksandr Usyk in June.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Hall of Famer Froch echoed this general belief while acknowledging the psychological wounds from which Itauma must recover.
“I think he’ll definitely learn from that [defeat]. What mental scars will he have from that? We’ll see going forward, but it was a step too far for Moses Itauma at this stage of his career.
“Maybe he’s been rushed a bit, [but] he’s very, very talented [and] I believe he will come again. He’ll definitely be a world champion.”
With Hrgovic claiming the IBF title, he will soon be ordered to face mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez, who comes off a second-round finish over Richard Torrez Jr.
