Filip Hrgovic stops Moses Itauma in ninth to win vacant IBF heavyweight title in London
Filip Hrgovic stopped Britain’s Moses Itauma in the ninth round to claim the vacant IBF world heavyweight title at the O2 Arena in London on 29 August 2026, the Croat sealing victory when Itauma’s corner and referee Howard Foster ended the contest.
Hrgovic, 34, becomes the first world heavyweight champion from Croatia after surviving an early onslaught from the 21-year-old Itauma, who had been heavy favourite after winning his first 14 professional fights. The Croatian entered the bout with 15 of his 20 wins coming by stoppage and had lost only once in nine years as a professional; Itauma had boxed just 26 professional rounds before taking his first world-title shot and had stopped 12 of his previous 14 opponents.
Itauma began the fight on top, using southpaw angles and fast combinations to trouble Hrgovic and scoring a second-round knockdown when a right hook sent Hrgovic’s glove to the canvas. The youngster landed repeated cuffing blows and forced Hrgovic onto the back foot through much of the early middle rounds, with the crowd at the O2 audible as the momentum appeared to favour the Briton.
Hrgovic showed resilience as the bout progressed, absorbing combinations and beginning to land heavier shots of his own; a cut over his right eye started to bleed and both fighters exchanged telling blows in the middle rounds. Signs of fatigue emerged on Itauma’s face by the sixth and seventh rounds, with the younger man breathing heavily at times and using his glove to replace a dislodged gum shield, while Hrgovic continued to press.
The contest turned in the eighth and ninth rounds when Itauma’s output diminished and Hrgovic mounted sustained pressure. In the ninth, a thudding right left Itauma stumbling back toward the ropes and, with the youngster barely able to defend himself as he slumped into his corner, referee Howard Foster waved the fight off after trainer Ben Davison threw in a white towel.
Itauma required medical attention and left the arena on a stretcher, apparently with a knee injury, while Hrgovic reflected on the turnaround in the ring. “Let me tell you something,” Hrgovic said afterwards. “It was not me tonight. It was Jesus Christ in me. Holy Spirit. Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. It was not me. I was losing every round. I was outboxed. And I don’t know from where I got energy in that ninth round. And it was really not my strength. It was the Holy Spirit.” He added of Itauma: “He’s an amazing fighter. I want to thank him for accepting this fight, to give me a chance to become a new superstar in the heavyweight division. I’m the present and he’s definitely the future.”
Frank Warren, speaking after the fight, said: "Moses gave everything," and added: "He has to go back to the drawing board and he can come again." Hrgovic leaves London as the IBF champion with Frank Sanchez named as the IBF mandatory challenger, and media coverage suggested a unification path with Daniel Dubois — the WBO titleholder — who is due to meet Fabio Wardley in a rematch set for 17 October in London.
