Most people still don't really understand what was happening in the Itauma Hrgovic fight

The fight should have been called off immediately after the uppercut landed, Hrgovic declared the winner, and the IBF belt and the keys to Itauma’s mother’s hotel room handed over to him.

 

Watching Hrgovic soak up everything Itauma could throw at him, watching Itauma's spirit evaporate round by round as Hrgovic reeled him in, I don't know how anyone who actually knows boxing can see it differently. Rounds one and two are the only ones where Itauma really looks in control. After that, even live, you could see exactly what was happening.

 

Many people saw the punches landed, but not many people saw Itauma breathing hard in his corner at the end of round 1. He was slow to get up from his chair early in the early middle rounds. It like he rested and just had enough energy to go to the next round until he couldn't keep going.

One day we'll get the full fight on YouTube people will see him taking deep breaths in his corner and then realize that if couldn't get Hrgovic out early, he was going to get knocked out himself.

 

We'll just have to agree to disagree, but I wasn't the only one in the RBR saying round 3 was close (I gave it to Moses but it was close) or that gave Hrgo 5 (some of the better scorers alos gave him 6 too), and many of us were on the beat that Moses was tiring from 3 and things were subtly shifting.

This narrative that it was like rounds 1 & 2, in rounds 3 through 8 is what I'm really objecting to here, there were micro-shifts in the way the fight was going and many folks saw them, and they got clearer and clearer from 5 thru 8.

After Round 3:
The Professor:-

Fleisch3000:-

Parker90:-

ForemanJab:-

peter_uk:-

Rollin:-

DynamicPuncher:-

After Round 5:-
catchwtboxing:-

FrankinDallas:-

haileris:-

David B:-

oosnotsick:-

After Round 6:-
Perkin Warbeck:-

CST80:-

Shay Sonya:-

Anyways... I think that's plenty, you get the drift - and all well before round 8 where Moses tried to go for broke and EMPTIED his tank - plenty of folks were seeing it unfold and shift and not be this blow out and sudden gassing, and could see Filip edging back in and working the gameplan well.

 

Itauma was also missing more and more with each round, just swinging wildly and wasting even more energy. Some make it sound like Hrgovic was just a punchbag, but he had got the distance gauged and was using his body and head movement to make Itauma miss quite a bit, as well as soaking up shots that did land. I'm not saying he's Usyk level or anything, but he fought a good fight - it wasn't just a case of "Itauma lost by gassing himself out".

 

This is really good stuff here. While watching the fight live, many people noticed him starting to gas early. It's right there in the RBR thread.

His gas tank being empty wasn't a sudden thing. It happened gradually and it was clear as day for those of us watching live. Hrgovic was having more and more success and landing more and more. Itauma's armor was starting to crack as early as round 3 and it completely fell apart in round 9.

 

This is the thing a lot of people saying he lost only cos he gassed out. If his trainer and people close to him are telling him this it’s a dangerous road to go down cos it wasn’t the only factor.

 

Great thread, guys.

Moses has a lot to work on - and Hrgovic's granite remains his great equalizer.

 

This is my scorecard leading up to the finish; it was definitely not a one-sided fight:

 

This. When I saw Moses breathing heavy after the first round I knew he was ****ed. And so did he.

 

I've counted, listed the significant punches in rounds 3 and 5 - Hrgovic lands barely anything and is significantly outlanded in both rounds 3 and 5 by Itauma (so where is this 'shift'). It doesn't really matter what people saw in that first viewing - the facts are Hrgovic landed minimal (as good as 0) for 2 minutes and 30-40 seconds in both rounds, and in the remaining time didnt land much either.

[url][NO ZOOM] Moses Itauma vs. Filip Hrgovic Full Fight | Unbelievable KNOCKOUTS![/url]

Here's the fight watch it for yourself - look at what actually lands from both, and clear/clean punches, Hrgovic does next to nothing

If Hrgovic basically lands nothing bar 1 or 2 punches in rounds 3 and 5, there is no 'shift'. Itauma is doing all the work.

Have a look at round 8 too, Itauma lands consistently throughout that round. Hrgovic doing nothing. Itauma was throwing explosive, bad intention punches frequently in round 8. There's no 'shift', Itauma simply punched himself out.