Could Moses Itauma have outpointed Hrgović if he didn’t chase the Finish?

I see it similar to you.

The mind games made a difference. Itauma is only 21 with just a few fights mostly against subpar opposition. But he is a massive talent.

In a scenario where he is sparring hrgovic for 12 rounds full intensity no head guard, essentially a full fight but without audience, build up, mental games or anything - I think he might have been fine.

I don't think it is his cardio as much as the fact he is young and was shook a little from the build up with lots of media etc. The previous two fights weren't enough to train for that.

Anyone who has been in the ring knows that fight night is different from sparring. There are super fit guys that are totally spent after two rounds of a fight. So much adrenaline and nervous energy.

So depending on how he takes this experience and I hope it is not a trauma but something he can overcome, it might solve this issue or make it worse

 

The collapse from him suggests that he has been cutting corners in camp and not working hard enough on his cardio.

You should not be gassing that hard in a fight where you have been on top for the vast majority of it.

I will be interested to see if in future interviews it comes out, he has been skipping his runs and if during camps he decides whether he does work on the bike or in the pool.

If he wants to come back from this he needs to work harder to get fit.

 

It smacks of someone who is not putting the work in.

Does the lazy he way he talks also translate into someone who is only giving it 60% effort in camp? And fakes injuries to skip his morning run?

 

Yeah I figured he knew he was gassed and thought "**** it" and just went for it. Mad respect for that, even if it would have been much smarter to no mas it

 

The thing is, it’s not like he can just alter his cardio or pacing a little bit, the guy looked more tired than I’ve ever seen a boxer and it was only round 9. No way he could’ve finished the fight, even if he had taken his foot off the gas near the end. He is going to have to drastically change his style, e.g. pace himself, not jump at every opening, not put KO intent into every shot. And as people in this thread have already pointed out, if he changes his style then it’s a different fight and Hrgovic might’ve had more success.

I thought Itauma was in a clear lead but I’ve just rewatched the fight and I don’t think he was as dominant as people are suggesting. I gave Hrgovic two rounds (not including the 9th) and apart from in the 1st and 8th rounds Hrgovic was landing right hands and jabs throughout. Not enough to win but enough to break Itauma down. Also more of Itauma’s shots missed - or Hrgovic moved with them - than I thought, I don’t think Hrgovic took as much damage as it first seemed.

I’m actually more hyped for Itauma now than I was before the fight. I was an Itauma skeptic who thought he’d look very average when he stepped up to fight Filip. But he looked great in there. But then again I think other, less hyped boxers would also look pretty great if they put absolutely everything into knocking out their opponent from the opening bell and didn’t pace themselves. Hopefully Itauma is in good health and comes back better. But ‘better’ will probably mean less flashy and explosive.

 

It could be genetic

He simply might not have big lungs for endurance

Also, smoking and drinking doesn't help.

 

I don't think the changes he needs are that dramatic. I'd fancy Itauma to beat Hrgovic even if they rematched in the next 6 months. He dominated large stretches of the fight. He needs to fight smarter and realise that he isn't going to knock everyone out. There is no shame in keeping things steady to see out a win. The tactics were incredible really given Hrgovic's chin, Itauma landing repeatedly on him and Itauma lacking experience in going the distance. Just bank the rounds and see it out.

I'd have more concerns if he got chinned, or was outboxed. But he essentially gave that fight away due to his tactics and conditioning. It was like watching an early David Haye.

 

Itauma somehow has an even worse gas tank than Zhang. Even when Zhang was badly gassed, he held on to get the draw vs Jerry Forrest. And he went 12 competitive rounds with guys like Hrgovic and Parker. Bear in mind he was nearing 40 / actually in his 40s far past his physical prime for these fights.

Whereas Itauma is a 21 year old who literally couldn’t stand on his own two feet after just 9 rounds. I’ve never seen a gas tank this bad.

 

That was a massively underrated part of the fight. Those attempted breaks that Hrgovic didn’t allow him take

 

He’d won rounds 1-7, including a 10-8 round. All he needed to do was not get knocked down, not get knocked out, and the fight was his.

He should have taken rounds 8-12 off. Focused only on defense, thrown a couple pitty pat jabs and that’s it.