Editorial, Translated by Dr. Dorothy McClellan

Incredible Filip Hrgović Knocks Out Briton 

Moses Itauma and Becomes World Champion!

Croatian boxer Filip Hrgović (34) became the new IBF heavyweight world champion after defeating Briton Moses Itauma (21) by knockout in the ninth round at London's O2 Arena. It was a great fight in which our Filip from Zagreb (Brest) heroically withstood all the blows and attacks of the young Briton and then in the ninth round with a series of devastating blows he smashed his opponent and forced Itauma's corner to throw in the towel, after which referee Foster stopped the fight and Hrgović became the world champion.

 

Filip Hrgović is the first Croatian boxer to become the world heavyweight champion and thus entered the history of the Croatian people and world sports.

 

Hrgović won the Olympic bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and the European gold medal the year before as an amateur boxer, and now he has become the world heavyweight champion.

 

“This is incredible! I am overjoyed and I can’t believe that I have achieved my dream after 20 years. Today’s match is a reflection of my career, I was bullied, but I persevered and in the end I succeeded,” said Hrgović.

 

It was the main fight of the evening of the “Natural Born Thriller” event, in which Hrgović and Itauma fought for the championship title that was left vacant after Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usik relinquished the belt.

 

Immediately after the fight, the British The Sun published an article with the headline: “Itauma, 21, shocked in bid to become second youngest world champion after Tyson after shocking Hrgović knockout.” The British media outlet specifically states how close Itauma was to making history.

 

How shocking Hrgović’s turnaround was is best shown by the Guardian’s coverage of the fight. Their reporter Bryan Armen Graham had Itauma leading 79:72 after eight rounds. Hrgović was already on the floor in the second round. Itauma hit him with a right hook from a counter, and the Guardian then described the difference in hand speed between the two boxers as “alarming”.

 

And then Hrgović fought back. "Hrgović fights back! He beats the exhausted Itauma... This is a real fight again!", wrote the Guardian at the end of the eighth round. A minute later, a complete turnaround and celebration of our boxer took place.

My love, good luck tonight. Twenty years of sacrifice, hardship and everything that no one sees behind the cameras. How much effort has been put into silence... It's a real inspiration to watch your path and how, despite everything, you always manage to move forward. Work and perseverance really pay off and if anyone deserves a world title, it's you. I'm so proud of you, how far you've come and what results you've already achieved, and this today is just a bonus. "God bless you, I love you," Marinela wrote on Instagram a few hours before the match.

Their love story began long before he became a big name in Croatian sports. They both grew up in Sesvete and have known each other since childhood. Marinela knew from the beginning what it meant to be with a man whose job is no ordinary job. She herself had been involved in sports for years. She played volleyball, studied economics, and that, it seems, was one of the things that made it easy for them to understand each other. She knew what training meant, a schedule that doesn't ask if it suits the other, physical fatigue and the fact that an athlete can't always adapt to their private life.

 

"When Filip enters the ring, it's not hard to watch him because he's really superior and then it gets easier. But until that day, it's terribly stressful, there's no sleep," she said. "In the days before the fight, there are rules, routine and concentration."

 

After the big victory, Filip spoke especially emotionally about Marinela. "I'm a warrior, I did this for my father, Pero Hrgović. He is a special man. And for my Marinela, she gave all her energy. Look at how beautiful she is, she is an angel”, said a smiling Hrgović.

 

Legendary Croatian boxer Željko Mavrović spoke out after Filip Hrgović’s great victory over Moses Itauma and winning the IBF world heavyweight title. One of the best Croatian boxers ever, especially highlighted Hrgović’s endurance and the way he made the turnaround.

 

“A magnificent victory for Filip Hrgović over Moses Itauma! Congratulations on an incredible fight that will go down in the history of the heavyweight category! The fantastic perseverance, courage and heart of our Filip brought him the world championship title! Filip, you can endure more than anyone and you are the greatest ever from this region”, wrote Mavrović. “That is the greatest success. There is no more dilemma”.