“I thought Moses was well in front and he just basically got clipped. He’s done something to his leg. I don’t know what he’s done with his leg and he’s exhausted. That’s the truth of the matter. And the best man won at the end,” said Warren to talkSPORT Boxing.
The final concession was fair. The rest made a sustained breakdown sound more like a winning performance interrupted by an unfortunate punch. His uncertainty about the leg also leaves that suggestion unconfirmed.
Fans calling for Itauma to sit on his lead overlooked what happened when he tried. Hrgovic’s pressure denied him an easy round. Protecting an advantage required movement and defensive control that Itauma could not sustain.
His retreat often consisted of a short step back, roughly three feet, before planting to counter. It resembled the pullback Shakur uses, but it left Hrgovic a straight route back into range. A pivot or change of direction would have made him turn before attacking again. Instead, Itauma landed plenty, only to find that his punches did not stop Hrgovic from answering. He was creating room to punch without creating a way out of the exchange.
The Muhammad Ali comparisons looked generous. Young Ali had the mobility to make an opponent chase. Itauma could not get far enough away, for long enough, to earn that breathing room.
It was like watching a battery drain round after round. Yet fatigue was only part of it. Hrgovic’s punches were hurting him, leaving him less able to defend or escape the next attack.
Abel Sanchez described seeing Itauma’s legs fading in the sixth and seventh rounds. Keeping Hrgovic close and making Itauma work had been part of his plan. The opposing corner had anticipated the very exhaustion Warren cited afterward.
Even when Itauma hurt Hrgovic, his attempts to finish him consumed energy and left openings for heavy replies. Hrgovic recovered and remained dangerous. Itauma increasingly struggled to do either.
Warren can point to the scorecards, but they offered no protection from what was coming back. Hrgovic took away his rest, withstood his counters and punished the openings. That is considerably more than getting clipped.
