{
  "id": 15105875,
  "title": "Itauma finally makes peace with first defeat: ‘I was an arm’s length from greatness’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/itauma-finally-makes-peace-with-first-defeat-i-was-an-arms-length",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-17T02:43:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/sports/2026/10/17/itauma-finally-makes-peace-with-first-defeat-i-was-an-arms-length-from-greatness/239411"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "London, October 17 - British boxing sensation Moses Itauma announced on Wednesday that he had finally come to terms with his first professional loss following his narrow failure to secure a heavyweight world championship title. In August, the 21-year-old British boxer was on track for victory as he dominated Croatian opponent Filip Hrgovic during their IBF title fight in London. However, Itauma succumbed to exhaustion in the ninth round, ultimately losing the bout. At the launch of Club Eight 3 gym in Chatham, Itauma expressed no regrets about chasing \"greatness\" by attempting to defeat Hrgovic. \"For a long time, I couldn't accept the fact that it happened because I was winning the fight so comfortably,\" said Itauma. \"I was so far ahead on the scorecards and then all of a sudden, your body just starts shutting itself down.\" Despite being \"at an arm's length away from so much greatness,\" Itauma intends to learn from this experience as he prepares to return in 2027, where heavyweight contenders such as Daniel Dubois and the victor of the Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua clash could join the scene. Itauma had no plans to drastically change his approach, stating that he felt confident until the last minute before the fight ended. \"It was only maybe the last couple of minutes of round nine that things just started to go. I started moving in slow motion and he was in fast motion. And then it was like I just couldn't do anything. The exhaustion had obviously kicked in. But at no point in that fight was I like, 'oh, I'm messing up'. I still tried.\" Many onlookers praised Itauma's performance, with nine out of ten people commenting that it was a good fight. Despite not securing the decision, Itauma expressed gratitude for entertaining the audience, saying, \"Congratulations to Filip Hrgovic.\"",
  "summary": "LONDON, Oct 17 — British boxing rising star Moses Itauma said yesterday he had finally come to terms with his firs...",
  "key_points": [
    "Itauma lost IBF heavyweight title fight to Filip Hrgovic in ninth round",
    "21-year-old British boxer was \"at an arm's length from greatness\"",
    "Itauma plans to return to boxing in 2027"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}