Tyson Fury Warns Moses Itauma: ‘You Were Rushed’ After Hrgovic Defeat

By Dorcas Francis Koji

Former heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury has urged British-Nigerian prospect Moses Itauma to slow down his career development after suffering a stoppage defeat to Filip Hrgovic, warning that the young heavyweight was pushed into world-title contention before he was ready.

Itauma suffered the first defeat of his professional career on August 29 when Hrgovic stopped him in the ninth round at London’s O2 Arena.

Despite leading on all three judges’ scorecards when the fight was halted, Itauma struggled with fatigue as the bout progressed and was eventually overwhelmed by the greater experience of the Croatian heavyweight.

The defeat ended Itauma’s unbeaten professional record at 14-1, with the 21-year-old entering the contest having never previously fought beyond the fifth round.

Fury, speaking to journalist Gareth A. Davies while training in Miami, revealed that he had previously warned promoter Frank Warren and others around Itauma that the world-title challenge had arrived too soon.

“So from my experience, I said to Frank Warren, I said to everybody who would listen, too soon,” Fury said.

“I suppose when you’re trying to build somebody into a superstar and beat records and all that stuff, they put them in early and they made a mistake.”

Fury believes Itauma’s rapid rise could ultimately prove costly, both financially and in terms of his development as a fighter.

The former heavyweight champion pointed to his own career as an example of the benefits of gaining experience gradually before stepping onto the world stage.

“If you look at my career, I won English, Irish, British, Commonwealth, European. I did it the traditional route. And it’s done like that for a reason,” Fury said.

“I was 27 years old when I fought Wladimir Klitschko; I was a 10-1 underdog, but I was ready. If I’d have fought him at 21, I’d have got knocked out too.”

Itauma was taken to hospital as a precaution following the defeat but was released several hours later.

Despite the setback, the young heavyweight has already expressed his desire for an immediate rematch with Hrgovic, contacting Warren to push for another opportunity.

However, Warren has advised his fighter to step away from boxing temporarily, recover and return with a fresh mindset rather than rushing straight back into another major fight.

“He’s saying to me, ‘Can we get the rematch on?’, which is a natural reaction,” Warren told talkSPORT Breakfast.

“But I told him, ‘You have got to switch off from boxing, go and chill out and spend some time with your family and come back, recharge your batteries and then we get to work again.’”

Warren believes Itauma would benefit from one or two less demanding fights before another attempt at world-title level.

The promoter also revealed that he noticed Itauma beginning to tire as early as the seventh round against Hrgovic.

“I was sat next to his brother, and after the seventh he looked like he was puffing a bit and then in the eighth round he came out with a big round,” Warren said.

“I said, ‘He’s going to punch himself out.’”

Itauma, however, has remained positive about his future despite the first defeat of his career.

In a video posted on Instagram the day after the fight, he congratulated Hrgovic and insisted that the experience would help him grow as a fighter.

“So Saturday was not my night. We attempted greatness, and we just fell short to the more experienced man,” Itauma said.

“I want to say congratulations to Filip Hrgovic on his win, and although I never reached my desired outcome, I believe I gained experience that I will take to my future fights.”

Warren also revealed that Itauma suffered a leg injury during the contest and would need to improve aspects of his ring craft.

Despite the defeat, the promoter remains confident that Itauma possesses the talent to become one of the leading heavyweights in the world and eventually capture a world championship.

For Itauma, the challenge now is to turn the painful defeat into valuable experience and rebuild patiently rather than rushing back into the spotlight.