Itauma Demands Immediate Rematch, But It's Not Up To Him

Frank Warren, promoter for Moses Itauma, revealed that his 21-year-old boxer is pushing for a rematch with Filip Hrgovic following the Croatian's sensational victory on Saturday. The ninth-round win came after Itauma, now with a 14-1 (12 KOs) record, had controlled the first eight rounds. He even knocked Hrgovic down in the second and continued to unleash heavy blows before his energy dramatically waned.

As early as the fifth and seventh rounds, Itauma was visibly breathing heavily, and after a very strong eighth, he appeared completely exhausted. The victory earned the 34-year-old Hrgovic, who was widely considered an underdog, the vacant IBF world heavyweight title and improved his professional record to 21-1 (16 KOs).

After the bout, Itauma was briefly taken to the hospital, but once the emotions following his first career loss subsided, the southpaw's sole focus was on a rematch.

"He's telling me, 'Can we arrange the rematch?' which is a natural reaction," Warren told TalkSport. "But I told him, 'You need to step away from boxing, get some rest, and spend time with your family. Then come back, recharge your batteries, and we'll get back to work.'

"The situation is what it is – you're a big part of it. You showed you belong at this level." If he learns from this fight, I believe he can move forward and achieve great things."

Even if Warren thought a rematch was a good idea, the decision isn't up to the promoter. Frank Sanchez, who is the mandatory IBF challenger and temporarily stepped aside to allow Hrgovic and Itauma to fight for the vacant belt, is contractually obligated to be the new champion's next opponent.

But where does that leave Itauma?

"I'd like him to have at least one, maybe two fights, and then we'll see where we're headed before looking at titles again," Warren stated. "We need to sit down with the whole team and discuss the situation… My son Francis is his manager, and we'll all look at it together."

Although Itauma dominated for large portions of the fight, there were signs that his relentless attacks were draining his energy.

"I've been in this sport long enough," Warren reflected. "That very night, I knew what was going to happen. I was sitting next to his brother, and after the seventh round, he seemed to be breathing a bit heavier. Then he came out and had a very strong eighth round. I said, 'He's going to punch himself out.' I could see what was coming. He had pushed the pedal to the floor, and that was the end. I believe 98 percent of heavyweight boxers would have been stopped on Saturday by the punches he was landing."