However, those rounds came at a price- sapping the stamina of Itauma and changing the attack to wild, looping punches that won rounds but didn't have the impact of earlier blows.
Itauma scored a knockdown in round two with a glancing hook, but Itauma landed many other power punches that Hrgovic was able to essentially shrug off.
In round nine, Itauma was still throwing wild punches, but Hrgovic battered Itauma around, avoiding his desperate counters, and just as the referee moved in to stop the fight, the towel flew in from Itauma's corner.
For Hrgovic, mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez is next, as Sanchez took a large cash-out to allow Itauma and Hrgovic to meet for the IBF title under the condition that he would be next to face the winner.
Itauma suffered a leg injury during the fight, and he'll have to take time to recover, but he's young enough and talented enough to bounce back and become a force in the division.
Lightweight contender Sam Noakes won an easy unanimous decision over former WBO champion Denis Berinchyk in the co-feature.
And in California, super middleweight contender Lester Martinez stopped Luca Planic in ten rounds.
Boxing Challenge
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