Hrgovic will only give Itauma a rematch when he is undisputed

Hrgovic sets his condition

Hrgovic, 34, said no one from Itauma's team had asked him directly for a second fight. 'No, [they] never [asked for a rematch with me]. When I become undisputed [champion], I will give him a rematch,' he told Ring Magazine.

Itauma, 21, made his request to his promoter after the fight. Frank Warren told talkSPORT that Itauma asked: 'Can we get the rematch on?' Warren said he told the Briton to switch off from boxing and spend time with his family.

What happened at the O2

Hrgovic won the vacant IBF title by stopping Itauma in the ninth round at the O2 Arena on 29 August. Itauma was ahead 8-0 on two scorecards and 7-1 on the third when referee Howard Foster stopped the fight, according to Yahoo Sports.

Yahoo Sports reported that trainer Ben Davison threw in the towel and Foster stepped in to wave the fight off. The Independent reported that Foster stopped it a split second before the towel came in.

Itauma had dropped Hrgovic in the second round and was winning most of the early rounds before he tired. 'He was winning all the rounds but went toe-to-toe with me in round nine. It was a stupid move by him, it was very stupid. It was inexperience,' Hrgovic said.

Itauma was stretchered from the ring and taken to hospital, then discharged a few hours later. Warren revealed that Itauma suffered a leg injury during the fight. It was Itauma's first defeat and the first time he had boxed beyond six rounds. Ten of his previous 14 fights ended inside two rounds, Fox Sports reported.

His record is now 14-1 with 12 knockouts; Hrgovic is 21-1 with 16. A win would have made Itauma, at 21 years and 244 days, the second-youngest heavyweight champion in history, behind Mike Tyson.

The Mirror reported that interviews the previous week revealed Itauma had not sparred a full 12 rounds in training, the scheduled length of the bout. A resurfaced talkSPORT interview, cited by The Independent, had Itauma saying he may have sparred 12 rounds once, at most.

What Hrgovic wants first

Hrgovic is set to return in early 2027 for his first mandatory defence of the IBF title. He has been linked to a fight with Cuba's Frank Sanchez, which Boxing News Online reported would be the first heavyweight world title fight staged on Croatian soil.

Boxing News Online reported that a unification rematch with Daniel Dubois looks like the target after that. Dubois retained the WBO title by stopping Fabio Wardley in two rounds in their rematch, Sky Sports reported. The winner of a Hrgovic-Dubois fight would then target WBC champion Agit Kabayel to become a three-belt champion, according to Boxing News Online. The WBA super title is set to be on the line when Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua fight in December. Hrgovic holds the IBF belt, so the WBO, WBC and WBA titles are the other pieces of the undisputed picture.

Hrgovic's only professional defeat came against Dubois for the IBF title in 2024, when he was stopped on cuts over his eyes.

What happens next

Itauma is expected back in January. Warren said: 'He's 21 years of age. He'll have a comeback fight [in January] and I'm sure he'll come through it and then we'll look at all the various scenarios.'

Warren said it was too early to make decisions about Itauma's future. 'That aura of invincibility, at the moment, is gone,' he said.

Itauma's first public comments came in a video posted the day after the fight. 'So yesterday wasn't my night. We attempted greatness and we just fell short to the more experienced man,' he said. He closed with 'I'll be back'.