Hrgovic: 'I felt fucked up' after stopping Itauma to win IBF title
Filip Hrgovic said he suffered headaches for days after stopping Britain’s Moses Itauma to claim the IBF world heavyweight title last month. The 34-year-old Croat described absorbing heavy blows in the opening eight rounds and called the contest a brutal ordeal.
Hrgovic, who stopped the British challenger to win the IBF belt, said he did not celebrate and instead went home to rest after the fight. “I didn’t celebrate. I just went home to rest. It was such a hard fight I didn’t even do my tradition after I win, when I go to McDonald’s. I didn’t have the strength,” he said. He has said he aims to unify the heavyweight division and added there is a chance he would face Rico Verhoeven on the undercard to the much-delayed bout between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury that is expected to finally take place in Cardiff on 11 December.
Describing his physical state after the fight, Hrgovic said: “I felt fucked up.” He added: “I received a lot of shots and I was bruised. I had a bit of a headache for a few days. On the Wednesday after the fight I was back in the gym, working out already, but for a few days I felt really tired and bruised, with some headaches.”
Hrgovic praised Itauma’s ability, saying the 21-year-old British prodigy was unusually quick and skillful. “He’s really good. He’s special. Very fast, very talented and he countered whatever I tried with his speed and timing. I never was in the ring before with such a talented kid, with such a fast guy. You have some fast guys but they’re small heavyweights. You can handle them with your power but this kid is fast and big. He’s got great IQ and great talent. If he recovers from this loss, mentally, it will be hard for anyone to ever beat him again.”
At the same time Hrgovic questioned Itauma’s mental resilience after the defeat, warning that the loss could be career-altering if the young fighter did not recover. “We’ll see. It was a big shock for him, a big humiliation, so maybe it’s the end of his career if he’s not mentally tough. A lot of people, after that kind of loss, never come back. It will be a hard journey for him to come back but if he recovers and he does not lose his confidence then, with this experience, I think no one will ever beat him again.”
On preparation and conditioning, Hrgovic dismissed suggestions the outcome was down to fitness, arguing experience and mentality were decisive. “It’s not about physical preparation. It’s about experience and mentality. If we go for a run now, or we’re in the gym together, he’s in tremendous shape. He will beat me in every exercise, running, hitting the heavy bag. I think he was physically ready but it’s the mental part. It’s experience.” He contrasted his own training philosophy with what he described as Itauma’s gentler approach, saying: “You have to go through a ruthless, hard training camp. You need to go through hell to be mentally ready for this shit. Old school is the best school. I told Itauma this before the fight. He’s drinking water, hugging trees in the morning, saying hello to the sun. He does a lot of this bullshit. He’s surrounded by 10,000 yes-men, nutritionists and a coach for sleeping. You can’t get ready for a war this way.”
Hrgovic said Itauma set a blistering pace before tiring and being overwhelmed in the ninth round. Reflecting on the fight, he added: “I’m still kind of angry because he outboxed me. In my whole career, in 20 years of boxing, I was never outboxed in any sparring or any fight. I was always competitive. But this kid outboxed me. On that night, I think he will beat anyone apart from myself. But that night I refused to lose.”
Hrgovic said becoming world champion was a moment he is relishing and reiterated his ambition for the division. “If I knew it would be so good I would have won the championship before. It’s amazing to be world champion. I want to unify the division and stay here as long as possible. I feel great.”