Hrgovic wins IBF world heavyweight boxing title as Itauma hospitalised

What the report says

Filip Hrgovic became the new IBF world heavyweight boxing champion after stopping Britain’s Moses Itauma in the ninth round in London, according to Al Jazeera’s report from the O2 Arena. The win made Hrgovic the first Croatian to hold a world heavyweight title and came in the vacant belt previously left open by Oleksandr Usyk. Itauma, 21, was trying to become the second-youngest heavyweight world champion after Mike Tyson.

The fight started competitively, with Itauma landing cleaner early shots and briefly putting Hrgovic under pressure. Hrgovic, however, used his experience and physical resilience to stay in the contest as the rounds wore on. By the later stages, both boxers were visibly fatigued, and Itauma had gone beyond the sixth round for the first time in his professional career.

Al Jazeera reported that Itauma was carried from the ring on a stretcher and taken to hospital after the bout. His trainer, Ben Davison, threw in the towel just before referee Howard Foster stopped the contest. Hrgovic, 34, said after the fight that he had been buoyed by a strong training camp and praised Itauma as a promising fighter who simply needed more experience.

The result may affect the heavyweight title picture, with Hrgovic mentioning ambitions to pursue unification fights against other current champions. That broader context matters because the division remains split among several titleholders, making top-level matchup decisions especially significant for the sport.