Hrgovic Stops Gassed Itauma In Ninth Round
Filip Hrgovic stopped Moses Itauma in the ninth round Saturday to capture the vacant IBF heavyweight title after weathering an early storm at the O2 Arena in London.
Hrgovic, who absorbed punishment through the opening rounds, rallied once Itauma's gas tank emptied. The 21-year-old phenom had no answer in the second half, and the referee waved off the bout at 2:27 of the ninth, per MMA Fighting. Hrgovic becomes Croatia's first heavyweight champion.
Itauma's Inexperience Shows Against Veteran Hrgovic
Itauma entered the fight on a tear, having knocked out Jermaine Franklin in March. The youngster appeared on track to become the second-youngest heavyweight champion in history behind Mike Tyson, who won the belt at 20. But Hrgovic, 34, forced Itauma into deep water. The Croatian has fought tired at this level before; Itauma has not.
"Unbelievable fight and effort from Hrgovic, who becomes Croatia's first heavyweight champion," MMA Mania reported. "He took a beating in this fight, but he just didn't budge. He hung in there."
Tensions had spilled over at Friday's ceremonial weigh-ins, when Itauma shoved Hrgovic during their faceoff. The two nearly brawled on stage before security intervened, according to BJ Penn. Neither man sustained injury in the altercation.
Hrgovic improved to 21-1 with 16 knockouts. Itauma, now 14-1, has 10 days to file a rematch clause. The IBF title became vacant after Oleksandr Usyk relinquished it earlier this summer. Itauma was pulled from the venue on a stretcher following the stoppage.
Original reporting:
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