Tony Bellew's immediate reaction to Moses Itauma loss vs Filip Hrgovic has got everybody talking

Tony Bellew has made a bold claim about the future of boxing after rising British star Moses Itauma lost to Filip Hrgovic at the O2 Arena on Saturday night.

As he stepped into the ring, Moses Itauma was the name on everyone's lips having followed a similar arc to a certain Anthony Joshua.

The 21-year-old heavyweight boasted a 14-0 record in professional boxing, ending 12 of those fights by knockout, and wrapping up all his bouts within six rounds.

Dubbed the next generation of boxing, the IBC World Championship bout drew the attention of every high-profile athlete in the sport, with Prince Naseem Hamed claiming that the young Brit has the potential to surpass the legacies of Joshua and Tyson Fury to be the country's best boxer ever.

However, the fight didn't go to plan, with Hrgovic getting under Itauma's skin with a four-word comment on stage that caused an unexpected reaction.

Hrgovic himself has a stellar record in the ring, with a loss in a bout with Daniel Dubois in 2024 being the only stain on his 20-0-1 record.

The experienced boxer hammered home some hard truths to Itauma as the referee waved the fight off in the ninth round when the towel was tossed in from the corner.

A brilliant fight with exchanges from both boxers proved to go on too long for Itauma, who simply couldn't get Hrgovic onto the canvas and completely ran out of steam in the latter rounds, and eventually lost his legs against the ropes.

Despite leaving the ring on a stretcher and being taken to hospital, Itauma still won a lot of praise, especially from Tony Bellew.

Tony Bellew claims Moses Itauma will go all the way to the top despite first career loss

Fellow British boxer Tony Bellew immediately took to social media after the fight, claiming that the lessons Itauma has learned will make him a world champion.

"I’ll say this now! Moses Itauma will be world champion! He will learn so much from tonight," he wrote on Twitter (X).

"The biggest thing I’ll take from tonight is just how brave and tough Moses was. We knew Filip was super tough. Tonight we learned Moses is also tough.

"Once he learns to pace a 12-round bout he’s gonna rule for a while!

The former pro also had a lot of praise for Hgrovic, complimenting his resilience.

"Filip done amazing to ride through the storm! Filip Hrgovic’s chin needs to be studied," Bellew added.

Many fans agreed with Bellew's stance, while others criticised Itauma's coach Ben Davison for his tactics.

"Talent and heart always prevails in the end! Kids heading for the top if keeps grafting," one fan said in the replies.

Another added, "Ben Davison needs sacking is what we've learned. Should have been telling him to slow down and pace himself from the jump; Hrgovic never been KO'd."

A third added, "What was Moses team telling him? I can’t even comprehend why he would go out all guns blazing in the latter end of the fight even though you’ve won every round? Clear lack of experience. Itauma is one the sharpest fighters I’ve seen though the future is bright."

Moses Itauma will now have to watch and wait for the chance to start climbing the British legacy ladder, which is set to have its leader decided later this year when Fury and Joshua finally collide.