Filip Hrgovic stops Moses Itauma in ninth round to claim vacant IBF heavyweight title

Stoppage in the ninth round

Filip Hrgovic defeated Moses Itauma by ninth-round technical knockout at London's O2 Arena on 29 August 2026 to capture the vacant IBF heavyweight world championship. Referee Howard Foster intervened as Itauma absorbed heavy punches against the ropes, while trainer Ben Davison threw in the towel from the corner. Medical personnel tended to the 21-year-old Briton in the ring before removing him on a stretcher and taking him to a hospital. Promoter Frank Warren confirmed that Itauma suffered a leg injury during the bout, which limited his mobility in the closing frames. The defeat ended Itauma's undefeated start to his career, which previously stood at 14 consecutive victories.

Flow of the bout

Itauma controlled the opening stages with sharp boxing, landing multiple straight left hands during the first round. In the second round, Itauma forced a standing eight count against Hrgovic with a flush right hook. Hrgovic continued to absorb punches to the head and body, though he tested Itauma's defense in the third round with countering shots. Itauma landed an uppercut near the conclusion of the fifth round, but the high pace began to drain his stamina. The two fighters traded heavy punches in round six before Itauma visibly slowed down in the eighth round, entering territory past the sixth round for the first time in his professional career. Hrgovic capitalized on his opponent's exhaustion and applied sustained offensive pressure in round nine to secure the finish.

Milestone for Croatian boxing

The victory made the 34-year-old Hrgovic the first Croatian world heavyweight champion in boxing history. Hrgovic, an Olympic bronze medallist, rebounded from his sole career professional defeat against Daniel Dubois in an interim IBF title bout in 2024. For Itauma, the loss halted his attempt to become the second-youngest heavyweight world champion in history behind Mike Tyson, who claimed the WBC belt against Trevor Berbick at age 20 in 1986. The IBF belt became available after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title earlier in the summer, elevating the London bout into a full world championship match.

Reactions and division outlook

Following the victory, Hrgovic expressed gratitude to his team and dedicated the world championship to his daughter and late father. In his post-fight comments inside the ring, Hrgovic reflected on the shift in momentum and his stamina management throughout the contest.

I was losing every round, I was outboxed, and I don't know from where I got energy in that... 10th [ninth] round? It was really not my strength, it was the holy spirit.

Hrgovic also commented on his opponent's performance and physical condition as the bout extended into the later rounds.

[Itauma] is an amazing fighter, he's one of a kind, but he needs more experience. He gassed out. I knew I was losing rounds, but I knew that I held that pace in my favour. From the first round, I saw he was gassing out.

In the ring after the fight, Hrgovic spoke directly with Agit Kabayel, the newly installed WBC heavyweight champion from Germany, to propose a title unification bout. Warren told DAZN that Frank Sanchez remains an option for Hrgovic's first title defense after Sanchez received step-aside money to facilitate the Itauma fight.