Filip Hrgovic: ''I Am the Present, Moses Itauma Is the Future!''

Filip Hrgovic openly admitted he was losing every single round before his dramatic ninth-round comeback victory against Moses Itauma. This major win at London's O2 Arena made him the new IBF world heavyweight champion. Speaking right after the fight, the 34-year-old Croatian boxer was very honest about how difficult the match was, admitting that his young opponent completely outplayed him at the start.

The fight began terribly for Hrgovic. He was knocked down to the canvas in the second round and took a lot of hard punches from the fast 21-year-old prospect. Even though he was losing badly on the judges' scorecards, Hrgovic stayed calm. He used his years of experience and his tough chin to survive the early storm. By the eighth round, he could feel that Itauma was finally running out of energy.

Hrgovic refused to give up, crediting a sudden burst of energy in the ninth round to his faith and his excellent training camp. He went on the attack, trapping a completely exhausted Itauma against the ropes until the referee stepped in to stop the fight. After his historic win, a very happy Hrgovic praised Itauma as the future of boxing but said the youngster still needs more ring experience. Instead of taking an easy next match, Hrgovic immediately demanded a massive championship fight against Daniel Dubois.