“We weren’t going to win a decision. I don’t care how close the fight was; we were not going to win a decision because boxing has a tendency to do what’s best for boxing financially. I expected to be down. I expected not to win any rounds. I expected Filip to be the 9-to-1 or 8-to-1 underdog. I expected all that, but it was a 12-round fight, and we were going to capitalize on it being a 12-round fight,” Sanchez said to Fight Hub TV.
The crowd made Itauma’s advantage feel wider than it was. Every clean punch brought a loud reaction, while much of Hrgovic’s quieter work passed without the same recognition. Itauma deserved the rounds, but the applause created the impression that he was dominating a fighter who remained competitive and began coming on from the sixth.
Sanchez’s expectation of trailing on the scorecards shaped the tactics. Chasing rounds would have forced Hrgovic to trade combinations with the faster southpaw, giving Itauma the explosive exchanges he wanted. Sanchez instead repeatedly told Hrgovic to make Itauma initiate the action and spend energy closing the distance.
The difference in efficiency became decisive. Itauma threw fast four- and five-punch combinations, while Hrgovic answered with measured jabs and absorbed much of the incoming work on his gloves, arms and shoulders. Even when Itauma scored, he was paying a far greater physical price for each exchange.
A jab did not have to dominate every sequence. Its purpose was to interrupt Itauma’s approach, force another setup and prevent him from planting his feet comfortably. Every reset required the younger fighter to begin again.
That pattern also changed the use of space. Itauma controlled the center initially while Hrgovic willingly gave ground. Once Itauma’s output dropped, the older heavyweight began advancing more consistently. Areas that had provided Itauma room to attack and leave gradually became places where Hrgovic could hold him under pressure.
Abel compared the bout to taking Andy Ruiz Jr. to New Zealand for his 2016 fight with Joseph Parker. He told Ruiz they were already three points behind before boarding the plane. The trip reinforced why he could not depend on favorable scoring when his fighter was facing the home attraction.
The judges became irrelevant when Hrgovic stopped Itauma in the ninth round. Sanchez’s prediction that his fighter would trail was understandable because Itauma had legitimately won most of the earlier rounds. What the scorecards could not show was the changing direction of the fight. Hrgovic was allowing Itauma to spend himself while waiting for the portion only one of them had been prepared to handle.
