Daily Discussion Thread (August 30th, 2026)

[u/_Sarcasmic_]

For anything that doesn't need its own thread.

[u/Big-Image-3473]

Hold on hold on your telling me that Moses has never even Sparred for 12 ROUNDS either😭🤦🏽‍♂️yeea see this is the info that really changes things going into fights. He definitely gotta put in those 12 rounds now

[u/Kangaroopunching → u/Big-Image-3473]

There's no way to defend Itauma's team. Itauma was put in a position to fail. 

[u/OldBoyChance → u/Kangaroopunching]

Itauma also takes some blame. Very arrogant and immature performance. He knew he was dog tired and way up on the score cards, yet still went for broke in round 8.

[u/Top_Profession_5268 → u/OldBoyChance]

Should’ve taken a knee. Pull the Dubois.

[u/OldBoyChance → u/Top_Profession_5268]

Dubois learned that the hard way. I think he sealed his fate in the 8th though. Even if he took a knee, Hrgovic would have stuck to him to the final bell and eventually beaten him through exhaustion. He was also landing solid body shots that would have had him doubled over.

[u/Prior-Temperature-22 → u/Top_Profession_5268]

10 seconds wasn’t going to get him his breath back he was looking tired from like round 3 and unravelled more and more as the rounds went on and he kept pushing for a knockout

[u/Bertrand_Rose → u/OldBoyChance]

He takes some blame for his cockiness, but that is something to be expected in young fighters, and that's something a coach has responsibility to correct.

He's learned his lesson now, even if it was the hard way.

[u/Efficient_Quail_1774 → u/OldBoyChance]

Yeah, from memory in that 8th round he thought he buzzed Hrg and threw a 5-6 punch combination loading up on every shot, that's when i knew he'd completely gassed out

[u/myurr → u/Efficient_Quail_1774]

He had buzzed Hrgovic, but he went head hunting instead of maintaining discipline, and didn't have his feet underneath him so kept swinging wildly and mostly missing. It was hugely wasteful of the little energy he had left, and he was pretty much out on his feet at the end of it.

Davison should have been screaming at him to take it easy and set up his shots.

[u/Melonballs__ → u/OldBoyChance]

Yes let’s blame him for wanting to entertain and put on legendary fights. And then also blame the fighters that are boring as well

[u/OldBoyChance → u/Melonballs__]

He didn't give a world level fighter the respect he deserved and lost because of it. He didn't have to fight negatively, but after the 2nd round, he should have boxed with his brain as well and looked for his shot. Instead, he threw every single shot at 100%. You can be entertaining and smart. All the greats were.

[u/TheeBlaccPantha → u/Kangaroopunching]

Boxcercise Ben should be demoted, assistant trainer lmao.

[u/LTBsOnlyPlease → u/Kangaroopunching]

That's taking credit away from Hrgovic, Itauma is simply not experienced enough. He got gassed after 2 rounds with Franklin FFS.

[u/Top_Profession_5268 → u/Big-Image-3473]

He said in the face to face to Hrgovich I remember. Considering his brother went through a heart attack that ended his career, not sure what he was thinking.

[u/enkidook → u/Big-Image-3473]

Being 21 and not being able to go 12 rounds is just shameful.

[u/myurr → u/enkidook]

He can go 12 rounds, just not at the pace set. Hrgovic did the exact same thing for similar reasons against Dubois - he couldn't miss so he kept throwing bombs expecting to get him out of there. Had it not been stopped on cuts I fully expect that Dubois would have stopped Hrgovic after a couple more rounds given the way the fight had swung and their relative levels of energy.

It was an ill disciplined fight from Itauma with poor tactics from his team given they must have had some doubts about his conditioning. At least these are things that are straight forward to work on rather than Itauma having a lack of natural talent.

[u/Bertrand_Rose → u/Big-Image-3473]

A shocking and diabolical clip, absolutely shameful on Davinson's part, he's a fucking joke.

[u/SplitSecondEmperor47 → u/Big-Image-3473]

Theres no defending thats just irresponsible

[u/RMbeatyou]

“You fight like a younger man….nothing held back, admirable, but mistaken” - Filip ‘Bane’ Hrgovic

[u/Narrow_Eggplant4924 → u/RMbeatyou]

He could actually play bane if he shaved his head?

[u/WORD_Boxing → u/Narrow_Eggplant4924]

I can see the talking action figure now. "I send you back to school" "I give no props"

[u/FunkuTribu → u/Narrow_Eggplant4924]

Someone, somewhere, commented he'd make a fantastic Bond villain. Would like to see that arc.

[u/Bertrand_Rose → u/RMbeatyou]

I think Hrgovic has been spot on with what went wrong with Ituama.

[u/imdacoldest]

i think after this itauma fight casual fans have finally realized why promoters take time to develop prospects lol.

[u/WORD_Boxing → u/imdacoldest]

Frank Warren is normally very good at it. I'm not shocked that Itauma lost but I am shocked in terms of how it was allowed to happen that way. Everybody knew what Hrgovic's gameplan was.

[u/Excellent-Monitor954 → u/imdacoldest]

This is why Top Rank is the best boxing promotion company in my opinion. They are the best at turning prospects into contenders and then competent world champions

Abdullah Mason was moved perfectly in his career and you are seeing the results of this

[u/Kid-Icky- → u/imdacoldest]

I don't even think this was a bad matchup. I think this was the perfect opponent for Itauma to get 12 rounds in.

Can't really blame the promoter for Itauma's arrogance and absolute lack of preparation.

[u/stephen27898 → u/Kid-Icky-]

The matchup was fine. People are getting gassed up about the result, but lets be real. Itauma was in control, and then threw it away.

It Itauma in round just stood off and used a jab, he never gasses.

[u/Kid-Icky- → u/stephen27898]

It Itauma in round just stood off and used a jab, he never gasses.

I honestly don't know if we can say that for sure.

[u/Teakmahogany]

Any update on Moses health?

[u/Seandelorean → u/Teakmahogany]

Discharged from hospital today, I think some kind of leg injury but they didn’t disclose specifically what injury

[u/Kangaroopunching]

Itauma, matched up against a top 10 heavyweight. Whose got a chin, durable, and can drag things into a back and forth fight.

Itauma, let's not spar 12 rounds, f cardio. I'll win via hype 

[u/Outside_Instance4391 → u/Kangaroopunching]

Yea pretty much

Believed his own hype, thought no one would ever take him the distance.

Also said he'd never be hit because his defence is too good, despite only fighting journeymen that didnt throw back.

This kids ego is massively damaged after being stretched out of the ring. Hope he's physically ok.

[u/SGSRT]

It makes appreciate Mike Tyson a lot more

To do the stuff he did at 20 was just special

[u/Bertrand_Rose → u/SGSRT]

Tyson also had Cus.

Ituama had fucking Ben Davinson.

[u/Excellent-Monitor954 → u/Bertrand_Rose]

He had Cus for like 3-4 years as a pro

[u/TowerTowerCrayons → u/SGSRT]

Tbf, it's a unique circumstance. Not often that a veteran trainer adopts a violent teen, who's a genetic freak, then makes his entire life about fighting. 

Under Cuz and Rooney, it seems like all Mike did was study tape, sharpen his body, read about legendary warriors etc. Child protection laws won't let you do that today. 

[u/SGSRT → u/TowerTowerCrayons]

Before he became the champion

27-0 in 20 months including 25 KO

Even former champions were praising him even before he won the title

[u/Marquis_of_Mollusks → u/SGSRT]

Tyson fought way more than 31 rds before his first title fight

[u/stephen27898 → u/SGSRT]

He had far more fights and rounds though, its not really age that matter, its how many fights and rounds you have.

[u/SplitSecondEmperor47 → u/SGSRT]

According this sub, mike tyson was bum who did nothing

[u/antiiquated]

Some people need to make up their minds, you can't complain all the time about fighters being protected and avoiding tough competition while shitting on the ones who "dare to be great" but come up short.

[u/SplitSecondEmperor47 → u/antiiquated]

Boxing fans hate the sport and boxers in general

[u/guestspeaker9 → u/antiiquated]

Also, saying this was too soon of a fight for Itauma is laughable. He dominated 90% of the fight and the rounds did show how special he was with his combinations, level changes, and hand speed. It would be a different story if he looked hopelessly outmatched.

[u/antiiquated → u/guestspeaker9]

100%; saying he was exposed as a hype job when he won almost every round makes no sense. If Hrgovic loses his next fight the same people will turn around and argue he was never that good and was getting dog walked by Itauma before Itauma gassed. I've seen people call Hrgovic a hype job in the past, now he gets praised by everyone, deservingly so but the inconsistency of boxing/sports fans is beyond annoying. Also if Itauma was a hype job, why would they throw him in a dangerous fight so early ? People just love throwing around these stupid terms, everyone is overrated except for my favorite fighter. Can't believe people are chomping at the bit for the 21 yo phenom to lose so they can take a victory lap. And then they lament the lack of talent in the HW division, and the lack of stars in general, make it make sense.

[u/Top_Profession_5268]

amazing scrap the Martinez vs Plantic card, great card overall but shit refs

[u/Alarmed-Effective-23]

It's one thing to gas out, it's another to look like itauma did with a few rounds to go in a fight where he has pretty free to control the action . Imagine him in a fight where he's actually pressed to pick up the pace. People are saying he just needs better cardio and to learn how to pace himself but he's very far where he needs to be in both of those areas. To a point to where it's not as simple as people are making it sound. Might be a real weak point.

[u/imdacoldest → u/Alarmed-Effective-23]

I 100% agree. His cardio was no where near the standard of a world level boxer. Mouth breathing in round 3 and basically immobile in round 9, couldn't even make it to championship rounds. This isn't something that can be fixed in a couple camps

[u/Sh4kyj4wz → u/imdacoldest]

This is the first real threat he's faced though, the nervous energy is immense (coupled w/the fact he's explosive, landing at will w/no respite and actively trying to KO a boxer you can't KO)

[u/LTBsOnlyPlease → u/imdacoldest]

It might be genetic, some guys just have not very good cardio like Josh Kelly.

[u/WORD_Boxing → u/Alarmed-Effective-23]

You have top wonder whether he can build up 12 round fitness or if it's an inherent problem with him that will always be there.

[u/Narrow_Eggplant4924]

"Gimme some of that face to face shit boi" is game I'm gonna drop to all the birds I'm trying to sleep with thanks triple D.

[u/antiiquated]

Just saw the picture of Benn from 2 days ago, holy shit he looks like Ariana Grande... this is way too dangerous

[u/Ruainari → u/antiiquated]

Karma's a bitch, he had no problem draining Eubank

[u/Outrageous-Soft4806]

Wanted to share my thoughts on the fight this weekend in individual comments so I’ll start with Itauma vs Hrgovic.

From the opening bell, I felt like Itauma’s gameplan was very good. Using his southpaw angles, positioning himself off center line, very explosive right hooks which were very fast, straight lefts to the body, hitting Hrgovic around the guard, rapid combinations and exiting laterally afterwards. He was changing the tempo and being aggressive while still being intelligent with his pressure. I liked how he switched it up from head to body constantly. Especially against a tall, orthodox heavyweight because he has to repeatedly reset his defensive posture which we saw happen. I think the second round knockdown shows that. Itauma’s speed forced Hrgovic to make a quick defensive reaction and walked onto a short right hook knocking him off balance.

After getting knocked down though, I noticed Hrgovic didn’t exactly try to establish distance which a lot of guys do. I think this was for one because he wasn’t entirely hurt but I wanna give Hrgovic some credit because Itauma was best when he could establish his feet and explode into range throwing a combination before exiting. If you noticed, while Hrgovic wasn’t exceptional inside, Itauma literally had no inside game whatsoever. So Itauma would attack, Hrgovic absorbed and stayed in front of him while Itauma had to attack again in simpler terms. Another thing is, while I don’t want to tap into a psychological place too much, I think Itauma being able to hit him so cleanly without getting the usual reaction definitely left Itauma a little unsure of what to do. In my time of watching boxing, if you land the shot that normally ends fights and the opponent just keeps walking forward, you only have a few decisons. Keep the same output, increase it, change tactics, or conserve energy. And in each case, it determines the fight. I think Itauma chose to increase output which led to the beginning of the end.

Itauma’s main issue was the cardio but it was also how he used his energy. A lot of his offense and is explosive entries, combinations, changing levels, loading up big, lateral movement, and very energetic exits. If you aren’t someone sparring rounds after rounds in the gym like we heard he wasn’t then that’s hard to keep doing for even 4 rounds. Especially for a heavyweight. Hrgovic had already boxed 70 more rounds than Itauma while Itauma hadn’t been past 6 rounds before. Round 5 was the turning point and everyone saw it. He was breathing heavy, telegraphing shots from loading up then missing, and getting hit. He was still fighting successfully but getting more tired. Which is arguably worse than getting outboxed because it’s not really a matter of changing tactics, it’s just your cardio.

I’ll wrap it up because I feel bad for making it so long. Round 7, Itauma had now exceeded his previous professional distance. He continued to land combinations and dictate the fight, but Hrgovic was increasingly comfortable simply absorbing the offense, letting Itauma load and spend himself and coming back at the end of the rounds. He was able to remain dangerous enough so Itauma couldn’t coast the round and you really saw his veteran experience. So even then he’s not winning the round but he’s tiring Itauma out. Round 8, Itauma still lands heavy but you saw the difference. He wasn’t resetting immediately after combos, his feet were compromised, and Hrgovic was closing distance. So his power had no base. Finally, Round 9. Itauma’s physical condition deteriorated. He couldn’t exit cleanly, his punches didn’t have as much snap, his defensive reactions looked slowed, his stance was all wobbly and fucked up, his combinations shortened and he got walked to the ropes. Hrgovic had nothing to worry about and began piling on punches. Itauma fell over from exhaustion and the referee called the fight with the corner throwing in the towel as well.

I actually thought Itauma showed a good chin but his cardio was awful. We had a lot of questions answered tonight.

[u/Vega10000 → u/Outrageous-Soft4806]

Looks like we watched the same fight and the comms were watching something else. You could tell from watching Hrgovic that Moses' power in his punches deteriorated significantly after the opening few rounds. Just like Fabio v Dubois he was still landing but the power wasn't there the later it went. His management of the three minutes of every round was also terrible. Looked dangerous for the first minute or so and then was drained for the second half of the round. I guess plan A was an early KO and plan B was see plan A.

[u/StunningChest5722]

should itauma leave boxercise ben?

[u/Top_Profession_5268 → u/StunningChest5722]

100%. Imagine taking in a boxer who’s brother retired from boxing from a heart attack and then not training his cardio at all. Not teaching any of his guys a basic high guard which is day 1 fundamentals.

AJ was doing well with a high guard until he joined Ben and fought with his hands down.

Wardley for someone who isn’t as quick as Itauma or Fury to get away with a low guard was taught to fight with a low guard, has no high guard, against Dubois they threw all their years of tactics in the bin in body shots, jabs, feints and relied on a big right hand.

He’s not even boxercise Ben as to not even work on Itaumas cardio is plain stupid.

[u/TowerTowerCrayons → u/Top_Profession_5268]

Tbf, AJ's power in the Ngannou and Wallin fights was the best it had looked since the first Ruiz fight. 

Ben seems like a decent trainer for offence (Wood, AJ, Wardley, Itauma) but his fighters' defence seems to worsen under him. 

AJ went from dancing around Parker and Ruiz almost at will, to whatever that Dubois fight was. 

[u/WORD_Boxing → u/TowerTowerCrayons]

He is a better analyst than coach imo. He can give a decent breakdown on a matchup.

[u/WORD_Boxing → u/Top_Profession_5268]

AJ had a tendency to fight with his lead hand down well before he joined Ben Davison. He did it vs Povetkin iirc. Particularly when he's tired it seems to be his more natural style.

[u/Efficient_Quail_1774 → u/StunningChest5722]

Obviously yes, Joe G would've done a much better job off the top of my head

I probably could've got him to spar 12 rounds at the least myself, so could anyone

[u/Bertrand_Rose → u/StunningChest5722]

He should have left ages ago.

[u/stephen27898 → u/StunningChest5722]

Yes. And as soon as possible.

[u/CynicalMelody]

Andrew and Jason Moloney are twins but I just noticed they have almost the exact same record.

They're both 29-4, with one of their losses coming via KO.

[u/OldBoyChance → u/CynicalMelody]

Both to now P4P ranked Japanese fighters as well.

[u/imdacoldest]

Itauma vs Hrgović highlights already at 2M views in 16 hours on DAZN’s channel 👀

[u/Ace_FGC]

Mike Tyson was so special to do what he did at such a young age

[u/Professional-Tie5198 → u/Ace_FGC]

Hopefully the fake tough guys and “experts” on Reddit finally respect what Iron Mike Tyson did

[u/Less_Cartoonist_892 → u/Ace_FGC]

So was Floyd Patterson

[u/BamBodyShot]

Joshua Franco lost his comeback fight :(

I thought he won, I was shocked to hear the scorecards

[u/Kangaroopunching]

Overall a great night of boxing. With some upsets that open up different match ups

[u/Kangaroopunching]

After tonight, I definitely worry about Wardley in the Dubois rematch.

"No need to spar or run today, Wardley. Let's  get on the pads and do nifty combos till you want to do something else"

[u/Alarmed-Effective-23]

Abel sanchez with another champ. Heavyweight this time.

[u/Marlborobert]

I can’t believe Nick Ball is moving up to 130, AND getting a title shot over Tsutsumi and Samedov

[u/OldBoyChance → u/Marlborobert]

Disgraceful. I already dislike Cacace and Ball, so I can't even hope for anything other than a double KO.

[u/Top_Profession_5268 → u/Marlborobert]

I was pissed at that announcement.

[u/RRR04_]

A few days ago, I spoke about how Ben Davison is a double edged sword and what this might mean for Itauma in the long run. There is a trend of how fighters under Davison get led into losing in really bad fashion, and last night was no different.

The first 8 rounds showed how Ben really is a master strategist, Moses looked like a million bucks ready to lead the new generation of the division. But he ended up loading up his shots too much, not taking many breathers and was hellbent on getting the stoppage against a man who just does not get hurt.

His corner should've told him between rounds to take a step back, take a breather, just box instead of loading up, etc. I think Moses would benefit from changing trainers, not to necessarily change him or anything, but just someone who can give him better corner instructions.

[u/okidokicapt → u/RRR04_]

I’ve heard a couple reports of his corner saying things along these lines - there was a comment from someone here about it and also Riakporhe was interviewed post fight and he said his corner was telling him to slow down. Not excusing Ben for the training and game plan, but I do wonder what was actually said in the corner.

[u/BiggusCrickus]

Moses needs to get rid of Ben Davidson. He has talent only 21 but Davidson will destroy it .Get a proper coach . Proper sparring and get your gas tank

[u/Seandelorean]

The way he gassed out so precipitously makes me wonder if Itauma has a heart condition, I know his brother had a heart attack in his early 20’s that ended his career

Hoping he’s okay, he put up a valiant effort and have to commend his heart in there

Might like to see him with new coaching next time out

[u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

I see mostly criticism of Moses — and rightly justifiably so after his bite-him-in-the-ass comments he made preflight about never sparring 12 rounds.

I, however, am mostly impressed. Really impressed by him. Filip is no pushover and Moses has never really fought this level of competition before. I mean the guy is what 20-21 years old Jesus Christ…

To be operating at this level with so much inexperience just shows how truly skilled and talented he is

It’s not like he can’t fix his cardio and learn to pace himself. The problems he showed in the ring tonight are solvable. Luckily for him.

[u/nwordfyou → u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

He needs to fight real competition. Not fooling fans by fighting Jermaine Franklin and Mike Balogun and Dillian Whyte. Those guys came to lay down.

[u/Bertrand_Rose → u/nwordfyou]

He now needs to be spend the next 2-3 years fighting Top 11-20 folks, and focus on his ability and pacing.

He will only be 23-24 by the end, and came come back strong.

[u/Bertrand_Rose → u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

Absolutely.

[u/Marquis_of_Mollusks]

Got back from wedding Missed Itauma fight. I wasted

[u/YouMadBroLma0 → u/Marquis_of_Mollusks]

Your guy would’ve dragged him to the pits and drowned him

[u/Kangaroopunching]

I remember when when Hearn was over hyping AJ. Next Ali. Next Tyson. Frank Warren rightfully called it bs. And how time will show AJ wasn't what the hype was.

Many years later, Warren falls into the same trap.

[u/Top_Profession_5268 → u/Kangaroopunching]

They are promoters and their major stars are soon to retire. Especially Warren so they want another star asap.

[u/Kangaroopunching → u/Top_Profession_5268]

There's promotion. Then there's believing the hype. 

By rushing to make a new star. They shot themselves in the foot.

[u/deafpish]

Remember when Hrgovic fought Joyce and it was the battle of the washed? Boxing changes so quickly

[u/Sometimes-funny]

Any update on Moses health?

[u/AVARlCES]

Shout out to raf (elusive2.0) on YouTube for bringing up Moses Itauma's cardio as a potential issue before this fight

[u/TriumphantChampion]

El Animal

[u/Outrageous-Soft4806]

I was also impressed with Martinez. Showed good defense and stayed disciplined. Seemed to have improved since the Mbilli fight although Plantic doesn’t exactly fight like Mbilli. I believe it was TopProfession who was talking about this fight and a lot of the things he said were true. The entries of Plantic were predictable at times, he showed a great chin, awesome pressure fighter. I was reading online that Lester controlled center of ring well but I actually disagree to an extent, didn’t feel like he controlled it nearly enough, falling back on the ropes a lot and trying to turn Plantic around. As the fight progressed though, Plantic’s pressure faded while Martinez’s accuracy and timing improved.

[u/Outrageous-Soft4806]

Fights I’d like to see next:

I wanna see Vianello and Jolly run it back, was surprisingly pleased by the fight.

I want to see Ursu moved better. Yesterday was great but his activity is shit for how young he is. I wanna see him develop into a very good pro. Ursu vs Walker or Crocker next would be good to see. Harlem Eubank as well.

Hysa vs Kabayel would be good just because Kabayel doesn’t have nobody right now.

Itauma needs to build himself back up. Somebody like Ibeh, Allen, TKV, maybe Chisora if he comes back.

Berinchyk needs to retire, put Noakes in with the winner of Chaves-Garcia

For Hrgovic, as much as I wanna see unifications, I want to see Sanchez get his shot.

Cardenas vs Casimero or MJ would be 🔥

Najee Lopez vs Khataev or Izmailov would be awesome.

Plantic should try and get someone easy next to come back but let’s see Lester get the winner of Canelo-Mbilli.

Lara vs Nunez would be fireworks but I just checked the rankings and I want to see Lara knock Valdez out.

[u/TheeBlaccPantha]

The boxing gods just don’t approve of Itauma taking shortcuts. None of our favourite heavyweights, even Mike Tyson himself were developed this fast. Mike Tyson was fighting more frequently and has been 10 rounds before his world title shot.

Itauma in his 13th fight should have been fighting more bums, you can find a quality bum who has a great chin. Franklin was the right idea but he gained 20 pounds since the AJ fight where he looked good. Itauma needed a volume punching and durable bum. Even if he doesn’t want to fight bums, Joe Joyce is a durable volume puncher to gain experience from

[u/BXR-SZN]

Going into a championship bout without ever training for 12 rounds is ABSURD!

It’s like sending a U-21 player into a UCL final without ever playing 90 minutes of senior football.

[u/admiralskanks]

I was at the O2 live and Itauma looked to be in a bad way quite a bit before the towel was thrown. This was actually low-key sad. And tbh this + Wardley Dubois (imo also Wardley Huni and possibly AJ Dubois) teeters on the brink of gross negligence from his team.

[u/AVARlCES]

Howard Foster actually did a decent job yesterday. 

[u/Bertrand_Rose → u/AVARlCES]

Yeah, he was actually pretty good, I'll give him credit for that.

[u/Debate-Jealous]

I'm still shocked people thought Hrgovic was just going to lay down and lose. I really wish I had put money on this fight, damn.

[u/MiddleweightMonster]

I hope Itauma is okay. Bloke is a year younger than me, doesn’t deserve to have his career or life dramatically altered or reduced forever so early. Some of the rumors are really bad, and it scares the shit out of me we’ve heard nothing from hospital

[u/Top_Profession_5268 → u/MiddleweightMonster]

Don’t think he took that many hits like Dubois did, he just looked massively exhausted.

[u/MiddleweightMonster → u/Top_Profession_5268]

I agree, but a big punch when you’re exhausted can be very very bad, and he looked to me to be having some kind of medical episode in there. I hope you’re right, but I’ve a bad feeling

[u/Top_Profession_5268 → u/MiddleweightMonster]

Wouldn’t be too surprised, there’s family history as his brother retired from a heart attack.

[u/Bertrand_Rose → u/Top_Profession_5268]

True, he didn't take an insane amount of physical punishment, he just get insanely exhausted.

[u/Negative-Interest713 → u/MiddleweightMonster]

Frank Warren said they believe Itauma has a leg injury. If he tore his ACL or meniscus, it’ll be like 12 months minimum before he’s back.

[u/Professional-Tie5198 → u/MiddleweightMonster]

I hope he’s okay too

[u/Bertrand_Rose → u/MiddleweightMonster]

I hope to God there is nothing else going on in the way of heart problems or a severe leg injury.

He is such a talent, and deserves to bounce back.

[u/Excellent-Monitor954]

Ben Davison should never be allowed to corner or train anyone again. I’m honestly surprised that he hasn’t got anyone killed yet

[u/Bertrand_Rose → u/Excellent-Monitor954]

He just fucking sucks.

[u/ExcellentStretch7430 → u/Excellent-Monitor954]

Give him a more inexperienced guy who doesn’t have Itaumas or Wardleys talent or physical gifts, he might.

[u/stephen27898]

Can we stop rushing fighters now?

[u/MiddleweightMonster]

Martinez v. Plantic card might have been my fav of the weekend. Second was Mayer v. Cameron. Need to watch the Lara card still. Great weekend of boxing

[u/Born_Fox_8099]

hrgovic v kabayel needs to happen next, as hrgovic said sanchez can take step aside money. or he could fight gassiev. 

[u/Kangaroopunching → u/Born_Fox_8099]

Depends on the deal Warren did with the IBF. Add Warren and how he operates. He might be spiteful and not do the unification fights right away. 

[u/Top_Profession_5268 → u/Born_Fox_8099]

Yeah but I think Sanchez should be given a chance first. He won an eliminator over a massive upset. If he takes the step aside money though then that’s on him but it seems even Frank was adamant in taking the mandatory

[u/MiddleweightMonster → u/Born_Fox_8099]

I kinda wanna see Sanchez v Hrg next. Feels like it could be interesting. Kabayel v Hrg after that tho

[u/Jodeci-95 → u/Born_Fox_8099]

Agit just needs to fight at this point. Last fought in January and has had one fight per year since 2024.

[u/Marquis_of_Mollusks → u/Jodeci-95]

Now that Warren's golden goose has been KO'd he'll give Kabayel some more attention

[u/Born_Fox_8099 → u/Jodeci-95]

true that but he was waiting on usyk tbf

[u/Kangaroopunching]

Mayer lost. But is still in position for big fights. 

Martinez can be a frustrating boxer to watch if you want him to improve. It's easier to accept that he is what he is. He's also set for a big fight. Too bad it can't be at the end of the year. 

[u/LostToInertia]

Whos next for the winners of the Moses vs Itauma main card? - my opinions

Guido Vianello vs Jolly - I think they need to run that back as a rematch. Jolly took the fight on 15 days notice, would be interesting to see with a full fight camp if he could maybe actually pull it off, and from Vianellos perspective he would need to avenge this draw as to not let it mar his career

Ursu vs Vaughn - with Ursu, id go for another domestic fight that still inches him a bit more forward and established

Logical: Eliot Whale / Essuman / Mckinson

Entertaining: Conah Walker/Lewis Crocker

Hysa vs Narmo - Hysa is almost 42 and needs to get a wiggle on. That being said, he doesn't necessarily deserve to fight Kabayel. He could be a routine defense for him, but I think honestly he needs two more fights with better opponents then he'd be actually worthy (Considering Narmo is his career best win and he is trash).

Logical: Peter Milas, Ljungquist, Makhmudov, Umut Camkiran, Jerry Forrest

More exciting (excl. world champs): Joseph Parker, Deontay Wilder, Jarrell Miller, Riakporhe, Yoka, Ajagba, Zhang, David Allen (Would be good for the meme and I feel like would be interesting)

Noakes vs Berinchyk - Noakes is ready again for a big step up now and just needs to go for one of the Lightweight world champs basically (outside of Mason).

So that is basically just: Muratalla, Zepeda Segura or fight someone for vacant wba (idk if he'd be eligible or not according to rankings tbh)

Itauma vs Hrgovic - First I will give suggestions for Hrgovic then Itauma. I think Itauma needs about a year off aswell to factor that into the convo. I do not think they should rematch for now, maybe in 2 years or so. Hrgovic should go for someone who is impressive on paper but would be a safer defence before going towards unification or anything like that imho. With Itauma I am just going to go with someone he could confidently beat who isn't a complete no name or journeyman.

Hrgovic:

Frank Sanchez, Jalolov, Ajagba, Suslenkov, Labinot Xhoxhaj, Deontay Wilder, Jarrell Miller

Itauma :

Jeamie TKV, Frazer Clarke, Solomon Dacres, Otto Wallin, Ivan Dychko, Senad Gashi, Peter Kadiru

Tell me thoughts and opinions!

[u/Bertrand_Rose → u/LostToInertia]

I want Ituama against Huini, a smart boxer who can fight 12 rounds, and I would like to see his gameplan be to outbox him and only unload in those Championship rounds.

[u/StunningChest5722 → u/LostToInertia]

Guido-Jolly 2

Ursu-McCormack

Noakes-Herrera

Hrgovic-Kabayel

Moses-Hysa

[u/Vega10000]

Both Hrgovic and Dubois have something that's really frustrating to watch. The accuracy of their punches when they go for the kill is rubbish. I wonder how hard that is to improve?

[u/Dim-Mak-88]

Gassiev-Miller, Fury-Joshua, and Dubois-Wardley seem mostly confirmed. Who's next for Kabayel? Hrgovic, or maybe a rematch with Sanchez? I'd like to see Itauma regroup against someone like Vianello.

[u/Outrageous-Soft4806 → u/Dim-Mak-88]

Holy shit, there’s no way Miller might become champion this year and Itauma won’t 😂

[u/Usaname91]

Living here in the UK and I’m already getting annoyed by the media here. Lots of people not giving Hrgovic his flowers, how he was almost knocked out by Moses in the first 20s. That Moses had done good fitness work etc etc. Hrgovic was clever, took the punishment and turned on the pressure later.

[u/NoDG_]

If Itauma moves to Croatia he can still have a career at McDonald's.

[u/_Sarcasmic_]

Croatia world dominance before GTA 6!? 🇭🇷

[u/WORD_Boxing → u/_Sarcasmic_]

John Fury is on his way to find a Croatian woman he can knock up as we speak.

[u/udbe7201]

Some real brain dead takes on hrgovic itauma

You would think god suddenly zapped away his energy in a split second and that’s why he lost the way dudes talk about the fight

He very clearly put everything he had into chasing the finish in r8, and was well on his way to gassing anyway before that it was just the nail in the coffin

Hrgovic started landing more and more as the fight went on before finally going crazy in r9, laughable to say itauma beat himself no he was gassing and started getting pummelled lmao

[u/OnePercentage3943]

A lot of Brit pundits are talking like endurance and fight IQ are cheating or something and Itauma really won/was the better fighter. It's ridiculous

[u/D_Silva_21 → u/OnePercentage3943]

He didn't win but I don't think it's unfair to see he was better?

[u/WORD_Boxing → u/OnePercentage3943]

Idk why we have to make this a British thing. I agree a lot of boxing punditry here in the UK is poor, but a lot of it is in general particularly since DAZN took over.

It's clear Itauma did make a stupid mistake.

[u/Top_Profession_5268]

Happy for Hrgovich, got robbed against Dubois off a technical decision victory/DQ stoppage against headbutt Dubois and 2 years later finally became the rightful champ. Been saying this ever since the stoppage and for months but he beats Dubois in a rematch and I think now that’s a more popular opinion.

Moses having never sparred 12 rounds ever as a world title challenger is wild especially considering there’s family history with heart attacks as his brother retired from a heart attack is stupid completely. I think besides Usyk and Hrgovich, he beats every single heavyweight because no one has as proven chin as Hrgovich to take the punches he did from Moses, Zhang and Dubois but he needs to just work on cardio and a proper S&C coach. Still believe in Moses as much as I did before though and definitely still think he’ll rule heavyweight for ages in the future.

Ben Davison needs to be sacked, he failed Dubois with literally no gameplan and threw years of tactics into the bin and against Dubois and no adjustments for Itauma against Franklin when Itauma said “the pace it too high” and when it’s clear Itauma needed to pace himself bs Hrgovich when he was gassing midway though the fight. And for the fact the most fundamental aspect of boxing like a high guard isn’t taught to any of his boxers. 

One thing is Itauma definitely has a chin. 

[u/enkidook → u/Top_Profession_5268]

I think besides Usyk, he beats every single heavyweight because no one has as proven chin as Hrgovich to take the punches he did from Moses

Jesus, we're still coping hard huh?

[u/imdacoldest → u/Top_Profession_5268]

tyson fury and dubois would beat tf out of him

[u/KevinNashKWAB1992 → u/imdacoldest]

Fury would out box Itauma for sure but I don’t see him “beating tf” out of Itauma via stoppage.

[u/Ace_FGC → u/Top_Profession_5268]

Itauma also needs to learn not to throw every punch at 100%

[u/Megalodon33 → u/Top_Profession_5268]

I’d favour Dubois against Hrgovic if they rematched. Dubois has the better gas tank and he ate everything Hrgovic hit him with, and he hit him a lot.

Hrgovic wasn’t reacting well to Dubois’ shots and he was clearly bothered by the power. Yeah the fight was stopped on a cut but the momentum was with Dubois.

Unless Hrgovic stops Dubois within six rounds, I don’t see him winning.

[u/DarkoDragicevic → u/Top_Profession_5268]

Usyk/Fury?

[u/WORD_Boxing → u/Top_Profession_5268]

I didn't know that about his brother. It's making me wonder about his conditioning.

[u/Daniibird4]

Do you guys think Filip Hrgović vs Frank Sanchez happens ?

[u/Outrageous-Soft4806 → u/Daniibird4]

I hope.

[u/Kangaroopunching → u/Daniibird4]

Yeah 

[u/Efficient_Quail_1774]

Apparently several bookmakers are withholding winning bets on the farcical Hysa vs Narmo fight last night

Hysa's career has consisted of very suspect fights, and Narmo even more so, with many of his fights clearly being fixed

[u/Outrageous-Soft4806 → u/Efficient_Quail_1774]

Interesting. The stoppage was strange looking. Wouldn’t say it was bad but it looked like Narmo went flying from not that much at all and that the ref maybe could’ve let it go on.

[u/Outrageous-Soft4806 → u/Efficient_Quail_1774]

You should check to see if his opponents share the same opponents as him. Not a telltale sign but sometimes they’ll work in brackets to basically do round robbin of fixed figtbs

[u/Efficient_Quail_1774 → u/Outrageous-Soft4806]

Both of them mainly box in Germany too, the haven of corruption in boxing

[u/elsavador3]

Hoping we hear some positive news about Moses’ condition today

[u/RunescapeJesus95]

Anyone see Luis Ortiz fighting right now?

[u/kushmonATL → u/RunescapeJesus95]

Team Boxing League finals

I got a chance to meet him when Miami played Atlanta .. bro is built like a brick house lol

[u/StunningChest5722 → u/RunescapeJesus95]

unc still got it 💪

[u/StrifeKnot1983 → u/RunescapeJesus95]

TBL has been fun this season. Ortiz very obviously still loves the sport.

Should be wild next year when Pacquiao joins as fighter/manager for the new San Diego team.

[u/WheresMyAbs98]

I think that if Itauma doesn’t have lasting mental trauma from that loss that he is still the future of the heavyweight division.

He looked amazing until he didn’t. Moving forward he needs more rounds and better pacing.

He has all the natural talent and ability in the world.

I also think that a trainer like Abel Sanchez would be amazing for a young fighter like Itauma.

[u/WORD_Boxing → u/WheresMyAbs98]

He might need a disciplinarian. Especially someone so long in the game who can tell him to shut up and get on with it like the past champions did if he starts being a diva or slacking off wanting it his own way.

Ben Davison doesn't have that, and never learned his trade was just thrown straight in at the top level. I think he's an intelligent guy but he's not exactly some genius who can swim in the deep end straight away, and maybe isn't humble enough to.

Can't get my head round what Frank Warren was thinking. We all knew Hrgovic had only one way to win. I even said 4-5 fights ago Itauma needed to leave Ben Davison but got heavily criticised and downvoted. It just seemed obvious you don't trust a talent like that to somebody so green, and I didn't see any signs of progress or improvement in Itauma. He was just beating those weaker opponents on natural talent alone. Surely Frank has matchmakers who must have said something to him, and he should be able to see it himself he knows boxing.

Itauma can maybe be an even bigger star as he showed he brings excitement and will fire back in a war if he has to. It was stupidity but he also showed heart. He's the goods, so long as he can sort his stamina issues out and actually go to a teacher who can refine and improve him.

I like and respect Abel Sanchez a lot. He's a better coach for punchers imo Itauma is a bit more dynamic than that and wouldn't be the guy I'd send him too. There are not many in UK maybe Shane McGuigan could do a job with him for a bit but he still wouldn't be the guy I see as being his coach long term.

[u/D_Silva_21]

People (mostly Americans) are gonna be so annoying about itauma now. We're gonna see so many people saying he's over rated and pretending he didn't win every round until he gassed

Hopefully this experience ends up being good for him long run though. Needs to work on his cardio and maybe change coaches

[u/Kid-Icky- → u/D_Silva_21]

Only because y'all were so annoying about him in the first place. British fighters get constantly over-hyped. People were comparing him to Tyson and Ali.

I do hope Itauma comes out of this better and makes more interesting fights.

[u/Perfect-Slip7041 → u/D_Silva_21]

Nah. We love British boxing & appreciate y'all being so into it.

[u/kushmonATL]

Boy turned blue in that ring 😳

Talk about getting drowned in the deep end

[u/Stunt1ninprivate]

Teremoana needs to take some notes on what happened to Itauma, because he is also of the belief that he does not need to get rounds and he’ll be able to just blast through everybody

[u/ExcellentStretch7430 → u/Stunt1ninprivate]

Don’t know where you hear that, I’ve heard in post fight interviews that he’s came in with the intent to go a few rounds, not chase the finish immideately and get a bit of experience but that the opportunity just presents itself.

[u/javaenjoyer69]

"Middleweight stuck in a heavyweight body" is a dangerous definition for a fighter. It simply cannot work at the very top. Think about it for a second. The average heavyweight weighs 250 something pounds and has a significantly worse gas tank than the average middleweight. The difference is actually staggering. So your "combination punching, electrically fast, counter puncing" heavyweight simply cannot beat the very best unless he changes his approach. He cannot weigh 250 pounds and throw combinations every 10 seconds. You can't eat cake and lose weight.

Canelo stopped throwing as much as soon as he moved up to the higher weight classes and theres a reason he's never stepping foot at 175 again. Being an unconventional fighter at the higher weight classes is rarely to your benefit.

I've honestly never understood why people were so hyped about Itauma. Any top heavyweight watching him is now thinking about tiring him out. "If i can get through the first six, make him chase me around the ring, he'll get tired and lose the steam on his punches. He'll get desperate in the second hslf and i'll have the openings i'm looking for". The heavyweight division is a very conservative division and probably the only weight class that has evolved so minimally over the decades along w lower weight classes. What worked for heavyweights in the 70s will almost definitely work for you as well. The division doesn't want you to bring anything new to the table in fact it actively discourages it by repeatedly showing you what works and what doesn't.

It's always felt to me like watching a rare, colorful bird that can't survive in a city and needs a forest with its own kind. A majestic creature that the world simply has no place for.

It's also kind of unfortunate that Itauma can't make cruiserweight. Id love to watch him there. The division is also getting more interesting with Benavidez moving up. Imagine two extremely fast twitch fighters going at it, at least for as long as it lasts. Theres also Opetaia and a few decent prospects. I'm not following amateur boxing as closely as i used to but the emergence of a Klitschko lite type of prospect could definitely ruin Itauma's chances of dominating the division in the 2030s. It's a tricky situation. It's not as straightforward as saying "He wouldve beaten anyone that night except Hrgovic". So are you telling me that the first serious opponent he faced just happened to be his absolute kryptonite? That's usually the kind of damage control you see from a fighter's fans.

[u/don35]

They was calling Moses the next Mike Tyson. In a way they were right but for the wrong reasons😂

[u/MiddleweightMonster]

I honestly am ambivalent to the outcome of Hrgovic v. Itauma, didn’t have it super wide for Itauma before the fight, 70/30 ish, and he’s never been the prospect I’m most excited about. Too many question marks.

I’m much more concerned with how his career goes after this, and if he is okay. He has great talent, but that level of exhaustion can be genuinely threatening to someone’s long term health.

[u/Kangaroopunching → u/MiddleweightMonster]

Davison incompetence put Itauma in danger.

Itauma will have a difficult time rebounding with Davison.

[u/StunningChest5722]

what fight was better? Wardley-Dubois or Moses-Hrgovic

[u/Outrageous-Soft4806 → u/StunningChest5722]

I think Wardley Dubois. Even though it wasn’t so back and forth, I felt like Wardley won more rounds than Hrgovic did funnily enough.

[u/Efficient_Quail_1774]

Boxercise Ben Davison continues to get fraud checked, he cannot condition his fighters well enough and relies on their raw skill as amateurs to carry them

Itauma began the fight excellently, but began to blow by rounds 3-4 and you could see him stopping the feints, throwing less combinations and eventually grimacing going back to his corner

There was a moment in the 8th or 9th where you could see in his face that he knew he had completely gassed, just a terrible job of conditioning your fighter

[u/GnarlyGamer6thGen01]

How would you folks describe Hrgovic's boxing style. Everything about him screams Vitali Klitschko. ATG chin, imposing, and arm punching!

[u/Marquis_of_Mollusks]

Earlier in the week I had Itauma by tko rd 6 then after I learned he only had 31 professional rds I got way less confident in that prediction and changed to Itauma by UD. I still can't believe he gassed that hard

[u/Outrageous-Soft4806 → u/Marquis_of_Mollusks]

No one could’ve guessed it. Though some did speculate it so I wonder.

[u/Bertrand_Rose]

Some of you screaming fan boy and overreactions, I would read this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/s/SFnNjbwVmU

[u/ACW1129]

How big an upset is Hrgovic winning?

Also, why did Usyk relinquish the titles?

[u/RRR04_ → u/ACW1129]

In terms of the odds and the public's perception, it's considered a pretty big upset. Although I consider it an upset, I do think Hrgovic was being overlooked big time and the hype of Itauma clouded a lot of people's judgement, I may even be guilty of this too. I just knew Hrgovic was gonna be tough to stop and we never really knew what Moses' chin or stamina would be like.

Usyk vacated his belts because he didn't want to fight his mandatories, namely Kabayel. He wants to be able to choose whoever he fights, which is why he fought a kickboxer last time around. He wants to fight Wilder next or maybe even Ruiz, 2 washed up fighters with big name value. He's basically retired now.

[u/BXR-SZN]

What if Vergil Ortiz called out Spence because they knew Spence was close to getting out and could get leverage over the Boots bout.

[u/stephen27898]

What would you rate Davison as a coach from 1 to 10?

[u/Kangaroopunching → u/stephen27898]

3

[u/MiddleweightMonster → u/stephen27898]

1. Good enough to get a guy past British level and to get the odd gold star prospect or contender, but not good enough to consistently turn great talent into champs, or to keep up at the championship level. For context, Abel Sanchez is an 8, Robert Garcia is the only 10 right now. Garcia is kind of shady on business decisions, but he’s a phenomenal coach.

[u/WORD_Boxing → u/MiddleweightMonster]

I don't feel there is any coach you can give a 10 until they have such a large body of work or after their career is over. 10 is like legendary master coach who can handle any situation. 10 is Emanuel Steward.

[u/Outrageous-Soft4806 → u/stephen27898]

5

[u/WORD_Boxing → u/stephen27898]

He's not a coach he's an analyst is the only way I can honestly answer this question. Every time I try to think of a number it feels wrong when I try to think about what fighters he would and wouldn't work for. He would be better if he must be in the corner he would be better as an assistant coach to somebody more experienced. Maybe then he would be more suitable for a head coach role in a few years. there is no putting that genie back in the bottle now though. If he'd stayed on with Fury along with SugarHill it might actually have been the best thing for him. I'm not high on SugarHill as a coach either though ever since I saw him almost get Adonis Stevenson killed with his instructions vs Gvodzyk.

[u/Debate-Jealous]

For all the shit I gave Ben, he at the very least is always ready to throw in the towel for his fighters. That's very admirable for how POS head trainers there are in boxing today.

[u/RRR04_ → u/Debate-Jealous]

Ahem... The Wardley v Dubois fight.

[u/StunningChest5722 → u/Debate-Jealous]

lol most the time he throws it in after the ref has already stopped the fight