Itauma learns lesson in heartbreak as dogged Hrgovic rises to top

The Briton arrived at The O2 Arena with a singular goal in mind - to become the new IBF world heavyweight champion by handing Filip Hrgovic just his second career loss.

Expectation pointed to just that. Pre-match odds had priced him comfortably up top, his rival duly available at five-to-one mere minutes before he stepped onto the canvas.

Then, when the first bell rang and London rose to its feet with a roar, Moses seemed to back up those beliefs with a ruthless intent, clipping his opponent with apparent ease.

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Hrgovic stuns Moses to become IBF champion

Watch: Croatian upsets Briton to earn heavyweight crown

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It got seemingly worse for the Croatian in the second round, managing to land just three blows compared to two-dozen rained down upon his head and body over three minutes.

But they say you've got to wait for the moment - and even as Moses dug into his back of superlative tricks, the moment just never seemed to arrive until the danger overtook it.

There will be whole books dedicated to just how the star's corner, led by trainer Ben Davison, seemingly got this fight wrong in the end - a fight that ended with a first pro defeat.

Hrgovic walked through fire, weathered the storm and rode out the thunder to force a ninth-round stoppage that has thrown the blue-riband division up into freewheeling chaos.

For him, not quite the gatekeeper but nevertheless the bridesmaid, it is the realisation of a lifelong goal that confirms he too belongs at the top table of the sport's glamour class.

Yet for Moses, it is a harsh lesson in heartbreak that will reframe his own journey forward, and beg questions of just how he will respond to the biggest setback of his young career.

High-energy approach brutally exposed

There has been no shortage of rancour and acrimony this week across the capital, even if it took until Friday's testy weigh-in for matters to truly boil over and come to a head.

An on-stage fracas where Moses pushed Hrgovic off the stage following their face-off and the latter responded by slapping him through security certainly seemed to light a fuse.

How much those moments may have played in each man's mind is something only they will know. But there could be an argument that, for the former, it still rankled a day later.

Moses is no stranger to blistering starts. His meteoric rise through the heavyweight division, in no small part, has come thanks to his penchant for pace-driven dazzling knockouts.

Many have wondered how that high-energy approach would fare when taken into deeper waters. Until this weekend, only Jermaine Franklin had seriously pushed him forwards.

• Read next | Did Moses make big training mistake for Hrgovic world title fight?

It tends to be forgotten in the rhythms of another fine stoppage, but Moses had started to look a little wary - and weary - before the American was turned over in the fifth round.

So it proved again here. Half-a-dozen rounds into the contest, and the star's speed had slowed. Hrgovic was starting to find a little more purchase, take a little less punishment.

It led to a gamble then - a belief that Moses could put matters to bed in an eighth-round bombadment, and send his rival to the canvas for good after that brief early knockdown.

Whether that was of the fighter's own volition or a tactical ploy by his corner will be something else picked over. But the result was ultimately a disaster for the Briton's hopes.

Despite blows reigning onto his chin and body, Hrgovic stood firm - and less than three minutes later, he had turned the tables and forced victory from the spectre of defeat too.

Hrgovic critical of 'amateur' style

Speaking afterwards at his post-fight press conference, with his opponent en-route to hospital, Hrgovic cut something of a conflicted figure, bullishly high and yet oddly sheepish.

The 34-year-old had already admitted that he felt as if he lost every round in the ring - and indeed, bar the ninth, the stats suggest he did - as he credited his faith for the triumph.

Yet he was the one sat with the strap slung across his shoulder, with the star suggesting his extra miles on the clock proved invaluable to managing his minutes with his rival.

"He's inexperienced," he stated. "I saw from the first round that he [was] breathing hard, throwing too much. He was fighting like an amateur. I knew he was going to get tired

"I [knew I'd] get him [in the] later rounds. He's an amazing fighter but he's still young. He needs to pace himself and adjust. You can't box like an amateur. It's a 12-round fight."

Ring Magazine

They are words that Moses is likely to hear on repeat now - on the radio, on the podcasts, on the social media clips bandied about as everyone and their father weighs in next.

It is something he will undoubtedly heed, but at the same time, there is no need to rip up the script he has followed thus far. As a talent, his superb skills were there for all to see.

Now, it is the experience he needs to bank - and after eight rounds of near-one-way traffic and another of painful exhaustion, he may have new foundations to build that from.

Hrgovic summed it up when he said he had "never been in the ring with someone like him", adding: "He's an amazing talent and I believe he will be world champion for sure."

It appears the heavyweight world is still wishing Moses on to those dizzying heights they have long reserved for him. Now, he must make the most of this roadblock to thrive.

Watch Garcia vs. Benn in the UK only on DAZN

Britain's Conor Benn looks to become a world champion for the first time against US superstar Ryan Garcia on Saturday, September 12. Watch the fight exclusively in the UK & Ireland on DAZN PPV or included in our Ultimate Tier subscription.

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