Isn't Mike Tyson's loss to Buster Douglas more "humiliating" than Itauma's loss to Hrgovic?

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by HrGOATvic, Aug 30, 2026.


  1. HrGOATvic

    HrGOATvic New Member banned Full Member

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    Tyson was 2 years older and far more experienced than Itauma, having had multiple title defenses already, so for Itauma youth and inexperience are far more legitimate "excuses" for a loss.

    I respect Buster Douglas but Hrgovic is a level above him in class, and while Itauma did lose, he did something nobody else had done and taken most rounds from Hrgovic - and Hrgovic isn't an easy guy to take rounds from. Ask Dubois, who was losing 5-2 or 6-1 to a worse version of Hrgovic.

    Do you think the Mike Tyson that couldn't get past Buster Douglas would get past this version of Hrgovic? Itauma is a 194cm southpaw with a 79 inch reach. Mike Tyson is 178cm orthodox with a 71 inch reach. Debatable, I think not.

    All this to say, Itauma's career and potential future greatness isn't ruined by the loss vs Hrgovic any more than Tyson's was by the loss vs Douglas, or more recently than Dubois's was by the loss to Joyce. It's a loss but it's not career ending. The people who say that unjustly disrespect both Itauma and Hrgovic. If Itauma hasn't suffered lasting physical injuries, and if he has the mentality to recover and learn from the defeat, purely from a career standpoint, for him it's just begun. He's an ultra talented 21y old Brit.

    He took most rounds from the best version of Hrgovic we've seen in years, and he went out on his shield like a warrior, fighting until he physically couldn't, demonstrating heart and good (though not iron) chin together with the abnormal speed he's already known for. Hrgovic himself said Itauma is one of a kind, best fighter he shared the ring with and future of the HW division, and other than his known pro and amateur fights Hrgovic also sparred the likes of Wilder, Wlad and Haye, he's been around.

    The kid clearly has massive potential, let him regroup and redbuild, hopefully smarter and without skipping steps this time. It was just too much too soon. Who knows what his ceiling is. He apparently never even sparred 12 rounds. Then again it might be that his fast twitch muscles simply can't be trained for 12 rounds no more than Hrgovic's more slow twitch dominant muscles can be trained for Itauma's speed. Or maybe Hrgovic's Vitali Klitschko archetype of granite chin+height and reach+endurance+pressure simply counters Itauma's attributes, and Itauma doesn't even need more than 8 rounds for anybody else. IMO Itauma picked exactly the guy he shouldn't have picked, I guess wanting to prove he can KO even the guy known for the toughest chin. He'll almost certainly be a world champion at some point.
     
  2. MarkusFlorez99

    MarkusFlorez99 Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Nope, Tyson before that had already cleaned up most of the division and Itauma pushed Hrgovic off stage in the weigh in so this case was more humbling imo.

    This really shows how impressive Mike's run was at such a young age
     
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  3. HrGOATvic

    HrGOATvic New Member banned Full Member

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    You read the thread or just the title?

    Consider also Wlad's loss to Russ Puritty, somewhat similar to this Itauma's loss to Hrgovic. Wlad was only 22.

    Do you think that loss would be more or less humiliating if it came when Wlad was 30-40 or then at 22?

    Obviously if a fighter is in his prime then a loss is more humiliating than if they hadn't reached their prime yet.
     
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  4. MarkusFlorez99

    MarkusFlorez99 Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Itaumas win seems embarrassing on the surface precisely because he was hyped up to be the next MIKE TYSON. Douglas Mom also died and unlike Douglas Hrgovic can't fight on the inside at all despite some better attributes. Itauma will never be as good as Mike Tysons peak no matter the lowlights.

    Old Larry Holmes, Tony Tucker and Pinklon Thomas are all better than Hrgovic BTW, just like Dubois is better than Hrgovic
     
  5. bjl12

    bjl12 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Also, Mike was clearly on a spiral. Out of the ring noise was increasing, his original trainer/stepfather (cus d'amoto) died and Mike was just a mess. An inevitable train wreck that many saw coming even if it felt impossible at the time.
     
  6. HrGOATvic

    HrGOATvic New Member banned Full Member

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    Damn that's some severe, severe delusion. Hope this forum has a blocklist so I don't have to read your deranged fantasies. Let's see...
     
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  7. MarkusFlorez99

    MarkusFlorez99 Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Dubois gave Hrgovic a beating in the final round after he turned his face into pizza, the only one delusional here is you
     
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  8. bjl12

    bjl12 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Couldnt agree more. I dont really rate Wlad losing at 22, Canelo losing at 22, or BHop losing his first ever pro fight.
     
  9. MarkusFlorez99

    MarkusFlorez99 Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Funniest part about this is Mike Tyson was 23
     
  10. Flip The Table

    Flip The Table New Member banned Full Member

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    Yes definitely. Douglas was a far bigger underdog than Hrgovic. Douglas was 42/1, Hrgovic was 7/1.

    And Douglas had already lost 4 times and drew once, and been knocked out 3 times.

    I've never known fans as sensitive and fragile as Tyson fans. They hate with a passion comparing any young fighters to him, and they hate even the mention of any young HW possibly breaking his record. They are delusional with their overrating of him, they talk like he didn't get knocked out by a 42-1 underdog.
     
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  11. Aydamn

    Aydamn Dillian Da Dissappointment Full Member

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    Err... Hrgovic was winning against Dubois and beating him in exchanges up until Hrgovic got cut.
     
  12. Aydamn

    Aydamn Dillian Da Dissappointment Full Member

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    I don't see the fight outcome as even remotely embarrassing for moses.

    Moses looked terrifyingly good, he was smashing up Hrgovic same way he was smashing up tomato cans and tax drivers. There was not much difference in the level of domination between those levels of opponents for Moses.

    Moses looks so good.

    Hrgovic said, Moses is so amazing. He is amazing, the best he has ever fought.
     
  13. Babality

    Babality KTFO!!!!!!! Full Member

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  14. HrGOATvic

    HrGOATvic New Member banned Full Member

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    I do recommend to rewatch the fight though, and pay attention to what Hrgovic is doing also. It's hard to look good vs somebody as fast as Moses, and I thought Hrgovic was losing all rounds vs Moses, Hrgovic himself even thought it, but on a rewatch I noticed that Hrgovic took rounds 3 and 5, so it was onesided but not absolutely onesided, Hrgovic stuck to the gameplan and won.

    But yeah Moses looked good and very promising. Few people legitimately took rounds from Hrgovic, ever. In pros nobody except Moses, in amateurs Hrgovic was robbed against Yoka and Joyce, in reality he won both. Only fight I remember being extremely close in amateurs was Hrgovic and Ivan Dychko and it's possible Dychko got the better of him, hard to say, but Hrgovic was very, very young there.
     
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  15. HistoryZero26

    HistoryZero26 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    The Douglas fight was actually pretty impressive for Tyson. He did a lot of stuff in that fight he never did otherwise. It featured Tyson's only late round comeback and he very nearly won. When you compare the Douglas and Botha fights to Holyfield and Lennox that is the best Tyson ever handled trailing.

    Douglas was one of Tyson's best opponents. The betting public were wrong to have him 40-1 and yet both Douglas and Tyson's performance that night is defined by their stupidity.
     
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