Anthony Joshua has endorsed heavy criticism of trainer Ben Davison following Moses Itauma’s ninth-round stoppage defeat to Filip Hrgovic. Itauma gassed out after attempting an early knockout, leading major boxing figures to demand wholesale changes in his corner.
Itauma blew his gas tank trying to crush Hrgovic early in their IBF heavyweight world title showdown. He built an early lead on every judge’s scorecard before running completely out of steam. Hrgovic weathered the early storm, took control, and brutally stopped the 21-year-old phenom in the ninth round.
The fallout was fast and ruthless. Former two-division champion Tim Bradley launched a blistering assault on the corner’s strategy. Speaking on his channel, Bradley ripped into Itauma’s tactical execution: “If you’ve got a high boxing IQ like they say you do, now, you’ve got skills. Your boxing IQ is marginal, bro, and your corner is even worse,”
Bradley insisted the young heavyweight was completely unprepared for deep waters.
The boxing icon slammed the game plan that left Itauma defenseless. Bradley added: “You didn’t see this dude just playing defence on you. That’s all he was doing. You’re working your ass off trying to force a knockout. That’s what happens when you try to force a knockout.” He then urged Itauma to clean house immediately, exclaiming: “Ben Davison, your team is whack! Moses Itauma, fire your team. They did not have you ready for this s***. They did not have you ready mentally. They did not have you ready tactically at all. They had some technical s*** that you had to do.”
The backlash extended far beyond broadcast pundits. Boxing trainer Nathan Darby took to social media to question modern corner philosophies, writing: “But when do we start questioning the coaching? Modern training is heavily influenced by sports science, managing workload, recovery and knowing when the body has done enough. All important.”
Joshua raised eyebrows across the sport by liking Darby’s post on Instagram. The former two-time heavyweight champion worked closely with Davison for nearly two years. His subtle social media gesture signals a glaring lack of faith in his former coach’s methods. Itauma now faces a massive career decision as he rebuilds from his first major loss.
