British Boxing's "Next Superstar" Just Suffered A BRUTAL Upset — And Had To Be Stretchered Out Of The Ring

The Coronation That Turned Into A Nightmare

Moses Itauma walked into London's O2 Arena on Saturday night as British boxing's golden boy — undefeated, unstoppable, and three minutes away from heavyweight history.

He left on a stretcher.

The 21-year-old was stopped in the ninth round by Croatia's Filip Hrgovic in a shocking upset that nobody saw coming. With the vacant IBF heavyweight title on the line, Itauma had been the heavy favourite to become the second-youngest world champion in the division's history.

Instead, according to the BBC, he appeared to "punch himself out" in an extraordinary contest that saw him dominate early before fading dramatically — eventually slumping exhausted in his corner as his team threw in the towel.

How It All Went Wrong

Itauma came out with real intent. The southpaw was landing straight lefts, moving fast, and in the second round he knocked Hrgovic off-balance with a right hook that had the crowd at the O2 gasping.

Oasis legend Noel Gallagher and boxing icon Prince Naseem Hamed were among those watching as Itauma looked every bit the future superstar everyone said he was.

But by the end of the third round, the BBC reports, Itauma — who had boxed just 26 professional rounds before his first world-title fight — was already breathing heavily.

And that's when the danger started.

Rather than box his way to victory, Itauma kept chasing the knockout. He fired combinations, backed Hrgovic onto the ropes, landed huge shots in the sixth, seventh and eighth rounds.

But Hrgovic — an Olympic bronze medallist whose only previous professional loss came against Daniel Dubois — simply walked through them.

"His Legs Had Gone"

By the ninth round, it was clear something was very wrong.

Hrgovic came out with renewed purpose and landed a thudding right that sent Itauma staggering backwards, almost through the ropes.

The youngster somehow stayed upright but his legs were gone. Hrgovic kept pressing and when Itauma slumped into his corner, exhausted and barely able to defend himself, referee Howard Foster waved off the contest as the towel came in.

"From the first round, I saw his gassing out," Hrgovic said after the fight. "He started fast. I knew he was going to gas out. I knew when my chance came I needed to push. That is what I did."

Itauma needed medical attention before leaving the arena on a stretcher — a heartbreaking end to what was supposed to be his coronation.

The Aura Is Gone

Itauma had torn through his first 14 opponents and was being spoken about as heavyweight boxing's next superstar. He'd stopped 12 of them.

Tonight was supposed to make it official.

Instead, Hrgovic leaves London as Croatia's first heavyweight world champion, with Frank Sanchez waiting as the IBF mandatory challenger. A unification fight could follow, with Daniel Dubois holding the WBO title.

For Itauma, the questions are brutal: Did the step up come too soon? Can he rebuild?

Promoter Frank Warren suggested Itauma was carrying a leg injury in the final round but backed him to return. "Moses gave everything," Warren said. "He has to go back to the drawing board and he can come again."

Hrgovic was more generous: "He is the best I have been in the ring with, but he needs more experience. I am the present. He is definitely the future."

What Happens Next

The expectation around Itauma won't disappear overnight — but the aura of invincibility is gone.

Londoner Daniel Dubois was stopped by Joe Joyce as an unbeaten 23-year-old before going on to become a two-time world champion. Itauma has even more time on his side — he's only 21.

But tonight was supposed to be the night he announced himself to the world. Instead, he leaves with hard lessons learned and a long road back.

Hrgovic admitted he'd been "outboxed" for most of the fight — but in boxing, surviving the storm is half the battle. And when Itauma's relentless output caught up with him, the Croatian seized his moment.

"He's an amazing fighter," Hrgovic said. "I knew I was losing the rounds, but I knew that I had the pace in my favour."

This wasn't just an upset. This was a reminder that in heavyweight boxing, one punch — or one moment of exhaustion — can change everything.

Do you think Itauma can bounce back from this? Drop your thoughts below.

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Sources:

• BBC Sport: Itauma punches himself out against Hrgovic in world-title fight