Moses Itauma: What comes next after defeat to Filip Hrgović?

For the first time in his professional career, Moses Itauma suffered a defeat at the weekend, losing to Filip Hrgović as the Croatian claimed the vacant IBF World Heavyweight title to become the first world champion from his nation.

Itauma entered The O2 Arena with the opportunity to become the second-youngest heavyweight world champion in boxing history, behind only Mike Tyson, who was 10 months younger than Itauma when he stopped Jamaican boxer Trevor Berbick in 1986 to claim the WBC heavyweight championship.

Hrgović found himself on the back foot from the beginning, struggling to get into the fight before being dropped in the second round.

Refusing to disappear, Hrgović stayed in the fight and showed his durability, something Itauma had rarely, if ever, been forced to deal with in his previous fights.

By the eighth round, Itauma began to show signs of fatigue after throwing punches in such high volume, breathing heavily and looking increasingly lethargic on his feet.

Ultimately, by the ninth round, it was Hrgović's fight to win, with his pressure proving too much for the 21-year-old to answer. The referee eventually stopped the contest, with Itauma's corner throwing in the towel to withdraw their man.

In the aftermath of the contest, Itauma was unable to walk from the ring and had to be stretchered out, with his promoter Frank Warren later confirming that the heavyweight was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Despite falling short of making history, Itauma's age means there is still plenty of time for him to rebuild and work his way back towards another world-title opportunity.

His seeming invincibility has now disappeared. Before the fight, it wasn't unusual to hear Itauma's name mentioned alongside some of the best to ever step inside a boxing ring, not only domestically but around the world.

His age alone brought comparisons to Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali, with pundits and fans alike likening Itauma to two of the greatest heavyweights the sport has ever produced.

Itauma had raced through the early stages of his professional career, winning his first 14 contests and becoming one of the most heavily hyped and spoken-about prospects in the sport.

Yet despite his impressive record, if you looked deeper than the unbeaten figure, the 21-year-old had never fought beyond six rounds before stepping through the ropes at The O2 Arena.

Hrgović, who is battle-tested with years of experience at the highest level, was able to take Itauma into deep water and unfamiliar territory.

That experience is invaluable in this sport, particularly when facing a young, highly touted fighter who has never been forced to operate in those conditions before, with the brightest of lights beaming down on him.

The Croatian had already been through the wars. He shared the ring with Zhilei Zhang for 12 rounds and was competitive with Daniel Dubois before suffering what was, until this weekend, the only professional defeat of his career in the eighth round of that contest.

Itauma, on the other hand, had never even completed seven rounds as a professional.

However, even with the loss now attached to his name, it is not all doom and gloom for Itauma. There were still plenty of positives for the young man to take from his night at The O2 Arena.

Itauma looked every bit the fighter who had generated so much hype around his name during the opening rounds. His speed, accuracy and ability gave his opponent plenty of issues.

The biggest lesson from the defeat may not be that Itauma isn't ready for the highest level, but that there are still areas of his game that need developing before he can consistently compete at the very top.

Before the contest at the weekend, Itauma admitted in interviews that he had never completed a full 12-round sparring session during either of his training camps.

In hindsight, that perhaps highlights the biggest question surrounding the decision to put him in with someone as experienced and battle-tested as Hrgović.

It may have been naïve to throw a 21-year-old into his first world-title fight against an opponent at this level without having experienced the demands of a 12-round contest himself.

But that experience cannot be bought. Itauma has now felt what it is like to fight deep into a contest against a world-class heavyweight, and he will know exactly what needs to improve before his next opportunity arrives.

There would be little benefit in rushing Itauma straight back into another world-title fight. At 21, there is no need to chase the belt immediately, particularly when he has just discovered some of the weaknesses in his game.

Returning to the ring against a ranked heavyweight could provide the perfect opportunity to rebuild confidence, collect more rounds in the tank and prove that the lessons from Hrgović have been learned.

Could his next fight be against someone like Dave Allen? Despite his recent loss to Hrgović in May, the 35-year-old could provide a great test for Itauma and would certainly give him the rounds he clearly needs.

Australian Justis Huni isn't a bad shout either for his next opponent. Huni is coming off a majority-decision victory over Frazer Clarke in their 10-round contest on the Fury vs Makhmudov undercard.

A large proportion of Huni's professional contests have gone the distance, meaning Itauma would be given another opportunity to experience the later rounds without immediately being thrown back into a world-title fight.

Both Allen and Huni would present different challenges for Itauma, but crucially, neither would be expected to simply roll over. That is exactly what the Brit needs at this stage of his development.

Eventually, however, I'm sure Moses Itauma will be looking to avenge his defeat against Filip Hrgović. A rematch may not make sense immediately, but if Itauma can learn from the experience and work his way back towards the top, there is no reason why their paths can't cross again.

At 21, Itauma has suffered his first professional defeat, which crucially isn't necessarily a bad thing. He has discovered where his weaknesses lie and, perhaps most importantly, experienced what it takes to compete in a world-title fight.

There aren't many fighters his age who have been given those opportunities.

Despite the loss this past weekend, things look far from bleak for Moses Itauma.

The comparisons to Tyson and Ali may have been premature, but that doesn't change the fact that Itauma remains one of the most talented young heavyweights in the world.

The next few years will be about turning the raw talent into a complete heavyweight capable of sustaining that level over 12 rounds.

The defeat to Hrgović may have stopped Itauma's march towards putting his name in the history books, but it certainly hasn't stopped his journey towards becoming a world champion.