Frank Warren insists the coming months will be the true test of Moses Itauma if he chooses to rebuild in the wake of a ninth-round stoppage by Filip Hrgovic at The O2.
Itauma was carried from the ring on a stretcher as a gruelling challenge for the vacant IBF world title took its toll on a 21-year-old who had not previously boxed beyond the sixth round.
He looked sensational while using his hand speed and movement to dominate by far the toughest assignment of his 15-fight career but began to trade in the eighth and ninth rounds, eventually leading to him staggering around the ring in exhaustion.
For all his bravery he had been outsmarted by the canny and teak-tough Hrgovic, who brought his experience to bear by dragging the contest into deep waters having survived the initial onslaught.
Frank Warren (right) says Moses Itauma was too intent on knocking out Hrgovic (Steve Paston/PA)
Warren was unwilling to guarantee that Itauma will be back after the hype that had built around Britain's most exciting prospect deflated spectacularly and believes he needs a tactical rethink if he is to reach the top.
"It's too early to be making those decisions, you want to talk to him first and he will have to want to do it, which I'm sure he will," Warren said.
"You find out the calibre of a guy. It's all about the mindset and where they're at. You should learn from something like this and I'm sure he will.
"That aura of invincibility, at the moment, is gone. People will look at that and maybe it will make it easier to make fights for him.
Filip Hrgovic is the new IBF world heavyweight champion (Steven Paston/PA)
"Mentally, he's going to be completely down. We're going to have to talk to him and lift him and see what he's like. It's going to take some time.
"He's still one of the most unbelievable talents I've ever been involved with. We'll stick with him. He needs a bit more ring craft and needs to stop thinking about knocking everyone out.
"Somebody was saying to me this evening (Saturday) that Moses won't feel he's won the world title properly unless he's knocked him out and I didn't like hearing that."
Hrgovic's only defeat came when challenging another Briton in Daniel Dubois for the IBF world title in 2024 and as Croatia's first heavyweight world champion, he wants his first defence to be in his homeland.
The 2016 Olympic bronze medal winner's granite chin and indomitable spirit made the greatest victory of his career possible and while he had scoffed at comparisons between Itauma and Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali, he is still tipping his rookie rival for great things.
