Conquer we shall, but first we must contend,

Tis not the fight that crowns us, but the end

The End by Robert Herrick, poet (1591-1674)

Felipe Hrgovic’s victory over Moses Itauma in the 9th round of their IBF World Heavyweight title fight owed much to a stubbornness he is not famed for, conditioning he had previously only partially conquered and a stout chin. His own offence was modest and timidly applied in the early going. Winning rounds was not the game plan. Staying vertical until the second half of the Queensberry Promotions bill-topper was paramount.

The notion, the theory beneath the shellacking he withstood in those first six rounds being that Itauma would tire. Once spent, Hrgovic’s aim was to capitalise on Itauma’s lack of seasoning as a distance fighter – he had never fought beyond the 6th – and the complimentary assumption that the 21-year-old upstart would start fast. Burning fuel he didn’t have the experience to know he would need later.