By JEFF POWELL MBE, SPORTS WRITER AND BOXING COLUMNIST
Published: 21:11 BST, 30 August 2026 | Updated: 21:42 BST, 30 August 2026
The most alarming contribution to the inquest into the slaying of Moses came from the national hero of Croatia who was the real story of a Saturday night at the O2 which was dark for British boxing but dazzling to behold.
Filip Hrgovic said of our young Itauma: ‘No, I didn’t feel his power.’
That will be as devastating to the lad previously hailed as the next Mike Tyson as James Bond being told he is no longer attractive to women.
It will hurt even more than the punches which sent him reeling from domination to defeat and hospital on the evening he was supposed to become the second youngest world heavyweight champion of all time.
Power has been Moses Itauma’s middle name since he began felling giants like saplings. Suddenly, at 21, he is being likened to Samson who lost his mythological strength when he had a haircut.
Were there clues in how Hrgovic survived the first eight rounds of this IBF world title fight and countless punches, every one of which looked as if it would have knocked out a horse?
Moses Itauma saw his hope of becoming the second youngest heavyweight world champion ended by Filip Hrgovic
Hrgovic, right, declared afterwards that he 'didn't feel his power' in another blow to Itauma
To suggest as much would be to downplay the superhuman heart and phenomenal resilience of chin with which Hrgovic realised his own lifelong ambition of global glory. Just in time at 34.
Nevertheless, Itauma could not finish him off. Which brings other factors into issue. It is concerning, also, that Britain’s young lion should gas out on the first time in his career he was required to go beyond six rounds. Trainer Ben Davison finds himself under inquisition as to whether presumption of another early KO left Moses short on stamina build-up. Or did he simply punch himself out?
Whatever the reason, it was worrying to see one so young that exhausted as he staggered to extinction as early as the ninth round. Certainly Hrgovic put into words what many of us felt. That he was beaten in a large part by experience. The new champion who had vowed to ‘smash the kid’s face and send him back to high school’ had this to say after he had done just that: ‘He is a tremendous talent but he boxed like an amateur and must learn to fight like a professional.
‘With more experience he would have known he was winning every round and what he should have done was box out the fight to a points decision behind his jab. Not keep trying to knock me out. Although I did know he would tire the longer the fight went.’
But no power in his punches? Of being dropped once, a flash knock-down in the second round, Hrgovic said: ‘I didn’t feel it. He is very fast and caught me off balance with a punch I didn’t see.’
