Moses Itauma on Filip Hrgovic defeat: 'I was suddenly in slow motion and he was in fast motion'

Moses Itauma, after initially struggling to come to terms with his August loss to Filip Hrgovic, is now at peace with the first defeat of his professional career.

Itauma, 21, was expected to beat Hrgovic and looked on course to do just that, dropping and repeatedly rocking the Croatian during the first eight rounds.

Disaster struck in the ninth. Exhaustion took hold. Having bounced around the ring, landing eye-catching blow after eye-catching blow, Itauma suddenly looked as though he was stuck in quicksand.

Hrgovic, having showcased his durability, then exhibited his killer instinct as he forced the stoppage in the ninth round to claim the vacant IBF heavyweight title.

"For a long time, I couldn't accept it had happened," said Itauma, who is expected to return in January.

"I was winning the fight so comfortably, and then all of a sudden my body just started shutting itself down.

"But even though I didn't get the decision I wanted, I was proud of my performance.

"For the knowledge I had, for the talent I had, and for the experience I had, I put on a good show.

"I'll be back. The identity of being a boxer is still deeply rooted in me, so just because I lost doesn't mean that that's going to change.

"That was the third round I've ever lost in my boxing career; it just happened to be for the heavyweight championship of the world at 21 years of age.

"I'm not tripping over it. I attempted greatness, and I fell short."

Itauma, who admits Hrgovic’s durability played a significant part in the outcome, claimed it was only in the decisive ninth round that he realized he was in danger of losing.

"Skill-wise, [Hrgovic] didn't surprise me, but he's very durable,” Itauma, 14-1 (12 KOs), observed.

"I've always been able to do things that other people couldn't do.

"Jermaine Franklin's never looked like he's ever been in any trouble, but I knocked him out.

"Against Hrgovic, I was an arm's length away from so much greatness, and maybe that was the experience that I needed to have.

"It was all the way till a minute before the fight stopped. I didn't have a worry, and it was only a couple of minutes into round nine that I started moving in slow motion, and he was in fast motion.

"It was like I just couldn't do anything. Obviously, the exhaustion must have kicked in, but at no point in that fight was I like, 'Oh, I'm messing up'.”