During a media scrum this week, Garcia questioned Itauma’s pre-fight mentality and the decision to face a seasoned heavyweight without completing 12-round sparring sessions.

“Don’t look too much into this defeat. Look into what you need to fix, for sure, but don’t let it get you down completely. You were obviously the better fighter. You just weren’t conditioned, and you just don’t have enough experience at this current time,” said Ryan to the media.

“If you watch his interviews before, he’s saying that he’s not the best physically right now nor mentally, but it would still be enough to beat Hrgovic. That’s a really bad mindset. You didn’t even spar 12 rounds. I mean, that’s negligence right there.”

Garcia’s “better fighter” description is generous. Itauma was faster and more explosive, but Hrgovic was better equipped for the fight that developed. The Croatian took the opening artillery without panicking and calculated that Itauma would exhaust himself before the championship rounds.

The southpaw initially created openings with his jab and quick changes of angle. As fatigue took hold, he abandoned that lead hand and began loading up on wide hooks. His feet stopped carrying him out of range, leaving Hrgovic with a stationary target to pressure and counter.

His corner also failed to slow the collapse. Itauma needed instructions to clinch, circle, and steal enough time to recover. Instead, he continued meeting Hrgovic in exchanges while throwing nearly every punch at full force. He had never been forced to solve those problems during his first 35 professional rounds.

Calling it negligence sounds harsh, yet stepping into a world championship fight against a durable veteran without sparring twelve rounds is genuinely reckless.

Heavyweight boxing punishes shortcuts severely. When you face someone with Hrgovic’s chin, banking on an early knockout is a terrible gamble. Itauma admitted beforehand that he was not at his peak physically or mentally. Walking into the ring with that attitude reveals an ego that assumed pure hand speed would mask deep conditioning gaps. Garcia knows this trap well because he has lived through chaotic camps himself.

At the same time, the label ignores the intense rush Itauma felt. He wanted to beat Mike Tyson’s record so badly that his team skipped several developmental steps at once. That obsession pushed them into cutting corners during preparation.

“Heavyweights are different,” Garcia added. “They’re big dudes. He’s going to have to find a way to condition himself for 12 rounds. If you don’t want to spar 12 rounds, you’ve got to be conditioned to fight 12.”

Garcia is right about the tactical reality. If you enter deep waters without practicing twelve full rounds, you drown the second your opponent absorbs your best shots. It was a massive oversight, but it is one Itauma will never repeat.

Frank Warren has handled this type of rebuilding job before. Daniel Dubois was exposed by Joe Joyce in 2020 after being advanced too quickly, but later rebuilt through progressively tougher fights. Itauma needs a similar education against durable heavyweights, not another soft touch intended to restore his aura.