Moses Itauma Says Critics Were Happy to See Him Lose to Hrgovic
Moses Itauma claims some people were pleased by his loss to Filip Hrgovic and says he is targeting a January return.
Moses Itauma is not hiding from the criticism, but he is not happy about all of it either. The young heavyweight prospect told The Stomping Ground that some people in the boxing world were pleased to see him lose to Filip Hrgovic.
"I've seen personalities change and I've seen a couple people be happy that I lost," Itauma said. He added that he had previously supported those same people, though he declined to name names.
Itauma took full responsibility for the defeat. "Ultimately I lost the fight and I take full responsibility for that," he said. He praised Hrgovic's experience and acknowledged the loss was difficult to accept.
Questions about his training setup followed the defeat. Critics pointed at trainer Ben Davison's team and wondered whether Itauma's conditioning, defense and preparation were up to the level needed for elite heavyweight competition. Itauma pushed back on that narrative, describing his relationship with Davison and the team as healthy, per Boxing News 24.
The plan going forward is clear. Related reports indicate Itauma is keeping Davison as his trainer and targeting a January return. His camp has said the next opponent needs to test the specific flaws that Hrgovic exposed. No opponent has been named.
For a young heavyweight who entered the Hrgovic fight carrying enormous expectations, the path back starts with an honest assessment of what went wrong and a willingness to face a real test. Itauma appears to be doing both.
Every prospect loses eventually. What matters is how you handle it, and Itauma is saying the right things here. Taking full responsibility, keeping his trainer, and wanting his next fight to test the holes that got exposed. That is the blueprint.
The part about people being happy he lost? That is boxing. The sport builds you up and then a certain crowd cannot wait to tear you down. Itauma was getting hyped as the future of the heavyweight division before he had earned it at the elite level. Some of that hype was premature, and some people are always going to enjoy watching the air come out of a balloon. Best thing he can do is ignore it, fix his conditioning, tighten up the defense, and come back in January with a real answer. The heavyweight division needs young talent that can take a loss and come back better.
