Filip Hrgovic recovered from a second-round knockdown to stop Moses Itauma in the ninth round at The O2 Arena on Saturday. The Croatian heavy-hitter absorbed early pressure before wearing down the prospect to claim the vacant IBF heavyweight title.
Itauma started sharply as a southpaw, controlling the early rounds with fast hand speed and crisp combinations to the body. A left hand sent Hrgovic to the canvas in the second round, forcing referee Howard Foster to administer an eight-count. Itauma built a clear lead through the opening six rounds, beating Hrgovic to the punch while maintaining high output.
However, the fight changed dramatically once Itauma entered deep waters for the first time in his professional career. As his work rate slowed and defensive structure faltered, Hrgovic seized control. A powerful right hand hurt Itauma midway through the ninth round. The exhausted challenger collapsed into the corner, prompting trainer Ben Davison to throw in the towel at 2:27 of the round.
Following the victory, Hrgovic reflected on his comeback performance. He stated: “It was not me tonight. It was Jesus Christ in me. Holy Spirit.” The outcome establishes Hrgovic as Croatia’s first heavyweight world champion, while Itauma required medical attention following his first professional defeat.
On the undercard, Sam Noakes secured the vacant WBO International lightweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Denys Berinchyk. Noakes outworked the 2012 Olympic silver medalist across ten rounds, earning scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.
British and Commonwealth welterweight champion Constantin Ursu retained his belt after stopping Ben Vaughan at 0:03 of the eighth round, following an accidental clash of heads in the fifth that left a severe cut over Vaughan’s right eye. In the heavyweight division, Nelson Hysa registered a second-round stoppage against Thomas Narmo, while Guido Vianello and Moses Jolly battled to an eight-round draw scored 76-76.
Further undercard action saw WBC Continental cruiserweight champion Aloys Youmbi outpoint Sherif Musah 60-54 over six rounds, while lightweight prospect Arbnor Jashari earned a 59-55 points victory against Numan Hussain. Super flyweight Tony Curtis Jr. overcame early pressure to defeat Imad Naseeb 58-56, featherweight Frankie Wood stopped Callum Lee in the final round, and super featherweight Zayn Ahmed scored a second-round body-shot knockout over Liam Fitzmaurice.
Middleweight Sam King and super bantamweight Hassan Ishaq also secured comfortable points victories to complete the card in London.
