Filip Hrgovic says beating Moses Itauma finally got him the attention he wanted

The new world champion told Ariel Helwani he was brought in as an opponent for Itauma, and rejected claims that he won only because the younger man tired.

Filip Hrgovic says his win over Moses Itauma has finally earned him the recognition he felt promoters denied him for years. He also dismissed suggestions that he only won because his opponent ran out of energy.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani after becoming world champion, Hrgovic said he had spent his career on the sidelines. He felt he got little credit because he comes from a small country, and believed his promoter neither wanted him to become champion nor saw much value in promoting him without a big audience or major television networks behind him.

He said he was invited to fight Itauma as an opponent and was widely expected to be stopped within a few rounds, becoming the next victim of a fighter tipped as a future superstar. Hrgovic said: “But things changed in the ring, I beat him, and finally I got the attention that I wanted and I needed in showing my character and full potential.” He pointed to his past results, including an Olympic medal, a European title and wins over Zhang, Joyce and Itauma. He called it nonsense to say he beat any of them only because they tired, and argued that his pressure and body work, much of which he felt went unnoticed, wore Itauma down. Hrgovic said: “He didn’t get tired because of nothing. He get tired because of my performance, because of shots he received, and because of my toughness. So I don’t agree with that bullshit that ‘he just got tired.’” Hrgovic accepted he was behind before the stoppage, which he said came in the ninth round. In his view Itauma led by five rounds to three at that point, but the fight was not as one-sided as many observers claimed. He admitted Itauma outboxed him early, was too fast for him in the opening rounds and made the fight harder than he had expected.

He was full of praise for the man he beat. Hrgovic said: “I think he’s very good, maybe the best who I fought — the quickest guy, the best IQ, timing and speed.” He added that Itauma was not the hardest puncher he had faced, and named Dubois, Adeleye and Zhang as heavier hitters.

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