Moses Itauma vows return after Hrgovic defeat as January comeback looms
Moses Itauma is sure he will fight for a world title again.
The 21-year-old Chatham heavyweight said he has no doubt another chance will come after his first professional defeat in August. "Of course I'm going to have my opportunity again," he said in his first interview since the loss, given to BBC South East and Radio Kent BBC Sport.
That defeat came against Filip Hrgovic on 29 August at The O2 Arena in London. The pair met for the vacant IBF heavyweight title, one of the four major belts in boxing, and Hrgovic won by stoppage BBC Sport.
It was a fight of sharp swings. Itauma scored a knockdown in the second round and was leading on the scorecards before running out of gas. Hrgovic, a 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, took control late to close the show.
The loss cost Itauma a place in history. He had bid to become the second-youngest heavyweight world champion, and missed the chance to become the youngest champion since Mike Tyson in 1986.
Before that night, Itauma had won all 14 of his professional fights, 12 by stoppage. Hrgovic entered the bout with 20 wins and one defeat, with 15 victories inside the distance.
Itauma was born in Slovakia to a Slovakian mother and Nigerian father before his family moved to Kent. He had built his reputation as a fast, heavy-handed southpaw, a left-hander who stands right foot forward, with a stoppage win over Jermaine Franklin in Manchester among his best results. He dropped Franklin in round three on the way to that victory.
What happens next is already taking shape. Itauma has a comeback fight scheduled in January, and one report suggests he could be one victory away from a second world title shot Sky Sports.
For fans, this means the rebuild may be short. Heavyweight paths move quickly when a young fighter keeps winning. Former world champion Naseem Hamed has already said he is confident Itauma will become heavyweight champion of the world.
Itauma is saying the same thing. He lost his unbeaten record. He kept his belief.
