David Haye Diagnoses Moses Itauma's Pacing Flaw

David Haye believes Moses Itauma's first loss came down to a pacing problem, not a talent problem, and he says the unbeaten heavyweight needs to fix his energy management before he worries about anything else.

Itauma dropped his undefeated record against Filip Hrgovic, and Haye broke down the fight on talkBOXING, pointing to the opening rounds as the root of the collapse. "The first five rounds he was amazing," Haye said. "Even in those first five rounds, did he need to throw as many shots as he did to win the rounds comfortably?" Haye sees Itauma burning energy he didn't need to spend early, then paying for it when Hrgovic leaned on him late.

Why Haye Compares This to His Own 2004 Loss

Haye draws a direct line between Itauma's defeat and his own 2004 loss to Carl Thompson, where he gassed out after an aggressive start. "When I lost to Carl Thompson, I didn't think I need a new coach," Haye said. "It was like, 'coach said this, I did that. I got my a kicked.'" Haye rebuilt from that defeat to win cruiserweight titles and eventually a heavyweight belt, and he's framing the Hrgovic loss as the kind of gut-check moment that can sharpen a fighter rather than define him.

But the comparison only goes so far. Haye's low-output, lateral style worked against specific matchups: Jean-Marc Mormeck fit his timing, Enzo Maccarinelli folded quickly, and Nikolai Valuev was a huge, slow target who rarely let his hands go. Haye got away with tossing roughly twenty punches a round against Valuev because Valuev couldn't do anything about it. Against Wladimir Klitschko, a heavyweight with a real jab and real discipline, that same approach left Haye on the back foot for twelve rounds landing single-digit punch totals a round.

What It Means for Itauma's Next Fights

Moses Itauma can't run that same playbook against the heavyweights currently stacked at the top of the division. Zhilei Zhang, Agit Kabayel, Hrgovic and Joseph Parker are all big, physical pressure fighters, and jogging a lap while landing a dozen punches a round won't be enough to win rounds or survive adversity against that kind of size and volume. Haye's larger point is that Itauma's early knockouts never forced him to learn how to manage a fight once the shortcuts stopped working, and Hrgovic exposed that gap the moment he refused to fold early.

Haye puts the responsibility on Itauma himself, but trainer Ben Davison's corner work is fair to question too. If a fighter is burning that much energy to control rounds he's already winning, someone in the corner needs to rein in the pace between rounds. There's no confirmation of a split between Itauma and Davison, despite Itauma reportedly training at Floyd Mayweather's gym alongside Shakur Stevenson and Zaquin Moses, which could simply be a short-term camp change.

Promoter Frank Warren has floated as many as four fights for Itauma in 2027, but stacking the schedule only solves the problem if the matchmaking actually tests him. Beating up overmatched opponents will patch his confidence, but it won't answer the pacing question Hrgovic just raised.

Betting Angle

Itauma will likely return as a sizeable favorite against a lower-tier opponent to rebuild momentum, and bettors should treat that kind of fight as a confidence-building exercise rather than a true form check. The real market test comes whenever he's matched again with someone who can pressure him for eight or ten rounds. Until Itauma and his team show they've actually corrected the energy management issue, oddsmakers and bettors alike have reason to shade his number down slightly any time he's matched with a durable, high-volume opponent rather than a one-dimensional puncher.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did David Haye say about Moses Itauma's loss to Filip Hrgovic?

David Haye said Moses Itauma's loss to Filip Hrgovic stemmed from poor pacing, arguing Itauma threw too many unnecessary punches early and had nothing left once Hrgovic applied pressure late in the fight.

How does David Haye compare Itauma's loss to his own career?

Haye compared it to his 2004 loss to Carl Thompson, where he also gassed out after an aggressive start, and noted he rebuilt from that defeat to win cruiserweight and heavyweight titles without changing coaches.

Is Moses Itauma still training with Ben Davison?

There has been no confirmed split between Moses Itauma and trainer Ben Davison, though Itauma has reportedly been seen training at Floyd Mayweather's gym in Las Vegas.