Tyson Fury gives nine-word reaction to Moses Itauma’s crushing loss to Filip Hrgovic as questions linger over Brit

TYSON FURY gave a brutally blunt reaction to Moses Itauma’s shock defeat to Filip Hrgovic. Itauma, 21, suffered a crushing ninth-round TKO loss to the Croatian in their vacant IBF heavyweight title fight at The O2 last night. Credit: GETTY Credit: GETTY The slick southpaw was a breathless heavy bag after being overcome by fatigue in the eighth, and referee Howard Foster decided he’d seen enough at the 2:27 mark of the following stanza. Hrgovic’s heroics saw him delay what many thought would be Itauma’s imminent coronation as the next king of the heavyweights. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! MOSES ITAUMA VS FILIP HRGOVIC: LIVE COVERAGE But the stunning upset seemingly didn’t shock Fury, who told Bloody Elbow: “It’s boxing, it happens.” Itauma, who had never been beyond the sixth round before he clashed with Hrgovic, faces a major rebuild after being found to have serious cardiovascular issues. And Fury admits it’s far from certain he’ll recover from his aura-dispelling loss. When asked if he thinks the Chatham clubber ‘will be back’, the former two-time heavyweight king said: “Who knows? We’ll see.” An exhausted Itauma had to be helped out of the ring before being STRETCHERED OUT of the arena. SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Credit: INSTAGRAM He was promptly taken to the hospital, but is now back home resting with his family. Most read in Sport It’ll be back to the drawing board for the youngster when he returns to the gym following his puffy punch-up defeat. And promoter Frank Warren admits he’ll have to work on his cardio if he’s to mix it with the division’s elite and win a world title. The Queensberry Promotions chief said: “Moses has gone to hospital. He has done something to his leg. Tyson Fury admits it’s not a foregone conclusion that Moses Itauma bounces back from defeat to Filip Hrgovic Credit: INSTAGRAM@M.ITAUMA Promoter Frank Warren admits Itauma needs to work on his cardio Credit: GETTY “He did something to his leg and he was exhausted, is the truth of it. It was a very fast-paced fight.” Warren added: “He got caught and the fighting instinct was to stand there and let his shots go. “That’s what it is at the top level. You have to tick all the boxes. “He has got to learn from the fight and will hopefully do that.” Comment now