By JEFF POWELL MBE, SPORTS WRITER AND BOXING COLUMNIST
Published: 23:43 BST, 29 August 2026 | Updated: 12:31 BST, 30 August 2026
Moses rose to the mountain summit and was left there as a brother Christian climbed over him and walked on to the promised land.
There was a hugely significant difference from his biblical namesake.
Itauma was flattened in a fight against Filip Hrgovic the Croatian Iron Man of such astonishing violence that it was frightening.
A fight so brutal that the most trumpeted UK boxing prodigy for decades had to be carried out of the ring on a stretcher – make that his shield – and on to hospital.
The other promise – that of becoming the second youngest world heavyweight champion of all time behind Mike Tyson – went unfulfilled.
Moses Itauma has suffered his first pro defeat at the hands of Croatian star Filip Hrgovic
Itauma, 21, was taken away from the ring on a stretcher after a brutal contest
But not the prediction of a fight across their ages to remember for years to come.
Twenty-one played 34 and the kid lost – after flooring and pounding Hrgovic for eight rounds.
By his own admission Hrgovic did ‘not know where I found the strength and energy to beat him to the ground in the ninth.
But he did venture to add: ‘ I knew he would tire at some point.'
As Itauma was submerged by a torrent of punches the towel fluttered in from his corner.
Prior to the showdown, questions had hung over London’s 02.
