Лондон хотын O2 аренад болсон IBF-ийн дэлхийн аваргын бүсний төлөөх тулаанд Филип Хргович есдүгээр раундад өрсөлдөгчөө буулган авснаар түүхэн амжилтыг тогтоов.
Хорватын боксчин Филип Хргович (21-1) Их Британийн залуу тамирчин Мозес Итаумагаас (14-1) илүү туршлагатай болохоо харуулж, есдүгээр раудад техникийн нокаутаар ялалт байгууллаа. Тулааны эхний үеүдэд Итаума хурдтай тоглолтоор давамгайлж байсан ч раунд ахих тусам Хргович тоглолтын санаачилгыг гартаа авч, өрсөлдөгчөө ядрааж эхэлсэн юм. Есдүгээр раундад Итаумагаас хүч тамир нь суларч, рингэн дээр тогтож чадахгүй болсныг анзаарсан түүний дасгалжуулагч Бен Дэвисон алчуур шидэж, тулааныг зогсоосноор Хргович ялагч болжээ.
Тулааны дараа Хргович өөрийн хүч чадлыг “ариун сүнс”-тэй холбон тайлбарлаж, цаашид хүнд жингийн аваргын бүсүүдээ нэгтгэх зорилготой байгаагаа илэрхийлсэн байна. Тэрээр Даниел Дюбуа болон Агит Кабаел нартай тулалдах хүсэлтэй байгаагаа мэдэгдээд, ирээдүйд эх орондоо тулаан хийхийг зорьж буйгаа онцоллоо. Мөн IBF-ийн бүсний төлөөх тулаанд оролцох боломжийг нь алгассан Франк Санчесийн талаар шүүмжлэлтэй байр суурь илэрхийлэв.
Промоутер Франк Уоррены мэдээлснээр, тулааны дараа хөлний гэмтэл авсан Мозес Итаумаг дамнуургаар зөөвөрлөн эмнэлгийн тусламж үзүүлсэн байна. Итаумагийн хувьд энэхүү ялагдал нь түүний ирээдүйн замналд томоохон сургамж боллоо.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgović (21-1) upset the odds and the narrative by stopping Moses Itauma (14-1) in the ninth round of their fight for the IBF world title at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday night, becoming the first Croatian heavyweight world champion in history.
Coming into the fight, the headlines were all about Itauma, the 21-year-old Brit with a chance to make history by becoming the youngest heavyweight to win a world title since Mike Tyson did so at age 20 in 1986. But Hrgović was the man with the experience — a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist who entered Saturday’s bout with a 20-1 record as a professional. Itauma was 14-0 with 12 wins by knockout; eight of his stoppage victories had come in the first round, and 11 within two rounds. In total, he’d fought just 31 professional rounds.
The night was promoted with the tagline “Witness History” — more likely a hint toward Itauma’s opportunity than Hrgović’s. In the end, the Brit’s lack of experience appeared as he emptied his energy stores to the point where he seemed to lose control of his limbs. As Itauma continued attempting to throw power punches, Hrgović knew his opponent had nothing left and went for the kill. With 33 seconds left in Round 9, Itauma’s trainer Ben Davison threw in the towel, leaving Hrgović to celebrate making history.
In the early rounds, the fight looked as though it was going to play out the way so many had predicted: With Itauma’s hand speed making his 34-year-old foe look slow and ponderous. Throwing sharp southpaw jabs to Hrgović’s head before landing hard lefts to the Croatian’s body, Itauma seemed unable to miss as he stalked his opponent around the ring.
The third round saw Hrgović find some confidence, as he landed a hard hook and right hand that seemed to sap a little speed from Itauma. Itauma came out fighting in the fourth, looking sharp once again. By the end of the round, Hrgović was nursing a cut above his right eyebrow — a worrying sign for a man whose June 2024 fight against Daniel Dubois was stopped because of cuts above both his eyebrows.
The fifth round seemed to herald a change of momentum, though, with Hrgović more on the front foot, although Itauma ended it with a solid uppercut to indicate he was still dangerous.
By the end of the sixth, though, there were worrying signs for Itauma. Hrgović landed one, two, three hard right hands late in the round. Itauma fired back with a stinging left of his own, but he was clearly tiring. From there, it was Hrgović who looked the fresher, stronger fighter.
Round 8 saw Itauma unleash a salvo of punches on Hrgović, who took them well. By the end of the flurry, it looked as if the onslaught had damaged Itauma more than his opponent. After the eighth, he sat on his stool breathing hard and fast. When the bell rang to signal the start of Round 9, it was clear he had not recovered from his exertions in the previous round.
It soon told. With one minute and 20 seconds left in the ninth round, Itauma found himself trapped on the ropes, trying desperately to evade the shots firing in. He swung some of his own, but those that landed seemed to do so more out of luck than judgement. He’d reached the point where his arms and legs were perilously wobbly. He was no longer in control.
With 30 seconds left, Davison reached for the towel. Perhaps cognisant of the last time one of his fighters — fellow British heavyweight Fabio Wardley — was in a similar predicament during his bout against Dubois in May. In the aftermath of that defeat, Davison admitted he could have thrown in the towel before the referee ended the fight in the penultimate round.
This time, Davison didn’t leave it a moment too long. Itauma had become a shell of the heavyweight who’d answered the opening bell with such vim and vigour.
Speaking inside the ring after Itauma was stretchered out of the arena (promoter Frank Warren later said he had a leg injury), Hrgović, the man they call “El Animal,” said he was looking to unify heavyweight titles next. And a fight in his homeland, Croatia.
“I was losing every round,” Hrgović said. “I was outboxed. I don’t know where I got energy — it was not my strength; it was Holy Spirit.
“Next, I want unifications. I want to face off against Dubois, against (Agit) Kabayel. …”
On Frank Sánchez, the Cuban heavyweight who had been the mandatory challenger for the IBF belt but took a step-aside fee so Itauma and Hrgović could fight for it, the new champion said: “Let Frank Sánchez stay calm collecting another step-aside fee and making money for doing nothing.”
For Itauma, it’s as-you-were, but with a large dent in the hype that had grown around him. It was, and will be, a rough lesson to learn.
