Filip Hrgovic ripped up the script and shattered Moses Itauma’s world-title dream as the Briton appeared to punch himself out in an extraordinary heavyweight contest in London.
Itauma, 21, controlled most of the fight and scored a second-round knockdown but faded as his relentless output caught up with him.
Hrgovic weathered the storm and piled on the pressure in the ninth. With Itauma barely able to stand, his legs unsteady and body swaying before slumping in the corner, his team threw in the towel.
Itauma – who needed medical attention before leaving the arena on a stretcher – had been a heavy favourite after tearing through his first 14 opponents and was spoken about as heavyweight boxing’s next superstar.
With the vacant IBF title on the line, victory would have made him the second-youngest world champion in the division’s history.
Instead, his inexperience began to show as his Croatian opponent – an Olympic bronze medallist whose only previous professional defeat came against Daniel Dubois – survived everything Itauma threw at him before completing a remarkable turnaround.
More to follow.