CONOR BENN has been backed to repeat the tactics that led to Filip Hrgovic’s win over Moses Itauma to stun Conor Benn.

Hrgovic was a crazy 9/1 outsider with some oddsmakers as Itauma was expected to wipe the veteran Croatian out.

Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic: Natural Born Thriller - Fight NightFilip Hrgovic stopped Moses Itauma in nine rounds Credit: Getty 3rd Fanatics Fest NYC - Day 3, New York, USA - 18 Jul 2026Ryan Garcia facing off with Conor Benn ahead of their September 12 fight Credit: Shutterstock Editorial

But Britain’s 21-year-old prodigy despite being ahead by a landslide.

An exhausted to crown Hrgovic the new IBF heavyweight world champion.

No one inside the O2 Arena bar Hrgovic and his team – which includes American manager Keith Connolly – expected that result.

And now Connolly warned his man Benn, 29, will pull off the upset against Garcia, 28, by implementing a similar seek and destroy game plan on September 12.

He told SunSport: “It’s going to be exactly the same. My guy’s going to be in tremendous shape.

“Ryan Garcia is a great fighter, but my guy’s going to bully him. He’s going to bully him all over the ring.

“He might lose some rounds like Filip did, but he’s going to wear him out and knock him out.”

Hrgovic was down in the second after a right hook and

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But Itauma – unwisely seeking the knockout – ran out of gas and oxygen to

Connolly added: “I told you. Listen, Moses is special. He showed he’s a complete fighter tonight. He won every round.

“Just my guy outlasted him with experience. He covered up, tired him out, and then when he saw that he was hurt, he went in for the kill and he finished him.

“The difference was his conditioning. He came in 12-15lbs lighter. And that was the difference. It was the conditioning.

“He’s the Croatian Rocky. That’s all I can say. That was literally like a Rocky movie.”

Hrgovic has suffered just one loss in his 22 bouts – to Daniel Dubois in 2024.

Dubois, 28, is now the WBO champ after beating Fabio Wardley, 31, in May with the two

And Connolly says after Hrgovic’s mandatory challenger of Frank Sanchez, 34, a rematch with Dubois is on the cards.