Filip Hrgovic reveals the extent of the injuries Moses Itauma caused him

Filip Hrgovic admits Moses Itauma gave him bruises and headaches for days after

163 punches to the head will take their toll

On August 29, Moses Itauma stepped into the ring to make boxing history at the O2 Arena in London, but instead was surprised and stopped by Croatian Filip Hrgovic.

21-year-old Itauma has been lauded as 'The Future of Heavyweight Boxing' after a perfect amateur career that saw him go unbeaten in 24 bouts, success that he carried into the pro ranks with 14 wins and 12 knockouts. But when he attempted to break records in a bid to become Britain's youngest ever world heavyweight champion, he was found lacking in experience and stamina.

Having won every single round up to the eighth, the youngster from Chatham was visibly sucking in air and Hrgovic's corner knew that the prospect had run out of gas and was ready for the taking, which the experienced 'Animal' took full advantage of in round nine, pouncing on the breathless Brit who was staggering around on jellified legs.

Hrgovic claimed the vacant IBF world heavyweight title with the victory, but it came at a cost. The 34-year-old was subjected to 163 punches from the Slovakian-born southpaw, which he felt both on the night and the following week, he recently revealed.

Filip Hrgovic said, "I received a lot of shots and I was bruised. I had a bit of a headache for a few days.

"On the Wednesday after the fight I was back in the gym, working out already, but for a few days I felt really tired and bruised, with some headaches.

"He's really good. He's special. Very fast, very talented and he countered whatever I tried with his speed and timing."

He added, "I never was in the ring with such a talented kid, with such a fast guy. You have some fast guys but they're all small heavyweights. You can handle them with your power, but this kid is fast and big. He's got great IQ and great talent - if he recovers from this loss, mentally, it will be hard for anyone to ever beat him again."

Trained by Ben Davison, Moses Itauma unloaded the kitchen sink on Filip Hrgovic in the eighth round, throwing 65 shots and landing 26 of them, the highest volume of any round of the fight. The Croat stood strong under the attacks and Itauma was spent from thereon.

The victor had constantly been calling the Kent man a kid during fight week and he proved to be right as inexperience cost the 21-year-old Brit the win.

However, the new world champion kindly offered his victim some advice, "Don't give up. Don't lose confidence. Get a few easy fights, easy wins. Build again and learn off these mistakes. You can't box like an amateur. It's a 12-round fight, you need to pace yourself."