Moses Itauma’s next move is now fascinating – here are his options

The more fights you watch, the fewer surprises you see. That’s not to say there aren’t still upsets; they just don’t seem as seismic. The clues are there all along, it just depends how much attention you pay to them.

To be clear, this is not a claim that The Independent predicted that Filip Hrgovic would beat Moses Itauma on Saturday. The idea that Itauma would break down the Croatian, stop him late, and fulfil his world-title prophecy seemed sensible.

Still, two indisputable factors surrounding their clash – for the vacant IBF heavyweight belt – were discussed throughout fight week, just never with enough emphasis.

Those factors were Hrgovic’s durability, and Itauma’s inexperience down the stretch. And with these in mind, it suddenly doesn’t seem so shocking that Itauma punched himself out to the point that he had nothing left by the ninth round.

A leg injury, revealed by his promoter Frank Warren, should not be ignored; it helps to explain Itauma’s waning mobility and visible wincing in the final rounds. Still, that very injury could have been a result of Itauma driving an unsustainable pace against an opponent who showed repeatedly that – while he could not handle Itauma’s speed – he could handle the 21-year-old’s power.

Referee Howard Foster stopped the fight a split second before the towel came in at the O2 from trainer Ben Davison. Even if belatedly, Davison deserves credit for his attempt to protect his boxer.

Yet more legitimate questions will be asked about Davison and Itauma’s gameplan.

Many have noted that Itauma was breathing heavily from the third round. Actually, his mouth was already agape in round one, after a ring walk in which he looked somewhat nervous.

The precocious Briton, seeking to become the second-youngest heavyweight champion of all time, surely needed clearer instruction from his corner to slow the pace. There were shades of David Haye’s first professional loss: a stoppage by Carl Thompson in 2004, when Haye gassed out and was beaten by the 40-year-old in five rounds.

And what of a resurfaced Talk Sport interview, in which Itauma admitted he might have sparred a full 12 rounds once before, at most?

The priority for Itauma now must be to fill that apparent hole in his game. He showed against Hrgovic, 34, that his skills exceeded those of a seasoned, world-level operator, but the Croatian’s chin combined with Itauma’s flawed conditioning and gameplanning to prove fatal for the Briton.

Again, though, Itauma’s injury should not be overlooked, especially given he was removed from the arena on a stretcher and taken to hospital.

And while Itauma, whether with Davison or another coach, which feels too reactive merely hours after the fight, works on those deficiencies in the coming months, Warren must also work on the most-sensible next move for his young asset.

That next move is now the most-intriguing unknown in boxing.

Itauma won nearly every round on Saturday, suggesting that with the right adjustments, he could get over the line against Hrgovic. Yet there is no need to rush into a rematch, especially with Hrgovic having other options, such as his mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez or the Croatian’s desired step of a unification fight with Agit Kabayel or another champion.

There has been criticism of Warren for the matchmaking on Saturday, claims that Itauma was rushed from Jermaine Franklin to a world-level opponent. However, Itauma showed that his skills were sufficient, just not other areas of his game; furthermore, there are only so many fighters in the purgatory between Franklin’s level and Hrgovic’s, and even fewer who were open to boxing Itauma.

Suddenly, there will emerge a larger contingent of heavyweights who will be willing to fight Itauma, but Warren and his team must still pick wisely.

The loser of Fabio Wardley’s rematch with Daniel Dubois would be an enthralling option, but likely too tough right now (to say nothing of Wardley’s own working relationship with Davison) or at least no more appealing than merely rematching Hrgovic. Jarrell Miller has been mentioned, but his sole loss was a late stoppage by Dubois, meaning, on paper at least, he could pose Itauma the same problems that Hrgovic did.

So, perhaps a step down in competition is needed, with a focus on banking more rounds while Itauma can control the pace, though the task to find those rounds, without intense pressure to leave him in severe jeopardy, remains a difficult task.

Itauma will be back in big fights soon, perhaps very soon, and fans will see the best of him again: the bewildering speed, the sumptuous shot selection. Still, we have now seen the worst of him, however fleetingly, and that must be addressed as a matter of priority.