Derek Chisora claims outside pressure forced Moses Itauma into hunting for another knockout against Filip Hrgovic. That take lets Itauma off way too easily. The real issue sits with his engine during a grueling contest.
“Everybody said he was going to win the fight before he walked in the ring. So, there was so much pressure on him for him to win with a knockout,” Chisora said during an interview at the IBA press conference in Istanbul.
Chisora argued Itauma didn’t run out of gas, claiming his body shut down instead. Call it whatever you want, but Itauma hit an absolute wall once Hrgovic took his best shots. Getting stopped in round nine revealed flaws earlier blowout wins managed to hide.
Chasing a highlight reel finish explains part of the early rush, sure. Still, elite fighters must handle that noise. When an opponent absorbs punishment without budging, a top heavyweight can’t simply run out of fuel.
Take a hard look at Itauma’s path before this bout. Fast wins over aging veterans looked great on paper, but they never prepared him for a battle-tested opponent who punches back. Blasting someone out in two rounds requires entirely different stamina than fighting deep into the night.
His amateur background brings similar concerns. Trophies in the junior ranks never proved he could survive twelve rounds against a rugged pro. Matchmakers needed to build that ring time gradually, yet quick stoppages kept masking the unknown.
His thick muscular build raises legitimate questions about stamina management. That build doesn’t automatically cap him at six rounds, but problems clearly surfaced once Hrgovic dragged him past familiar territory.
Chisora can back his guy without spinning the loss into something harmless. If Itauma burned his gas tank chasing an early finish, his corner must fix that habit. If his cardio can’t handle that pace, training camp requires serious adjustments.
Dressing up exhaustion as some mysterious shutdown won’t help Itauma next time he meets someone who can take a shot.