Now that the dust has settled on the dramatic events of Moses Itauma's first world title challenge, attentions turn to the 21-year-old's future in the ring, where he will look to rebuild following the first defeat of his career.
To say the result on Saturday evening was a surprise would be an understatement; Itauma entered the ring as a 1/8 favourite to win the vacant IBF Heavyweight title, Hrgovic however had other ideas.
The Croatian bruiser endured relentless punishment for the first few rounds of the fight before turning the screw on the challenger, ultimately outlasting and overpowering a young man unused to the challenges of being dragged into second half of a 12-round title bout.
Experts and fans across the sport will dissect Itauma's maiden defeat in detail and ask understandable questions of his experience, stamina and the gameplan of his corner team.
For now however we focus on what the future holds for Britain's heavyweight prodigy now that the aura of invincibility has been stripped away from him.
Potential Next Opponents
Itauma finds himself at a crossroads and Queensberry promoter Frank Warren faces a pivotal decision on the way forward for the 21-year-old.
There are two potential avenues forward for Itauma, and Warren will need to decide which option is most prudent for a young fighter bruised by an unexpected and deflating first defeat.
Either Moses will be handed a lower profile journeyman type opponent, someone to knock out within a few rounds to regain his mojo, or he will go up against a heavyweight gatekeeper who can give him the rounds he clearly needs, as was made evident on Saturday evening.
The problem for Itauma is he has tended to knock out these gatekeeper figures rather rapidly, preventing him from experiencing the long slog of a 10 or 12 round heavyweight brawl in full.
Dillian Whyte was dispatched in the first of 10 scheduled rounds, Jermaine Franklin Jr was stopped in the fifth.
Even heavyweight veteran Mariusz Wach failed to go beyond the second round with Itauma. The 46-year Polish brawler had previously taken Whyte, Hughie Fury and Frazer Clarke the distance, he later survived seven rounds with Tyson Fury.
Whoever Warren and Itauma decide as their next opponent there will be questions and potential dangers for the 21-year-old and his fledgling career.
Jarrell Miller
At 38-years-old, Jarrell 'Big Baby' Miller is in the twilight years of his career and could prove to be a good test for Itauma in his next bout.
Miller was beaten by Daniel Dubois just under three years ago in a barnstorming heavyweight brawl in Saudi Arabia, a victory which propelled the young Brit on to secure victories over Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua.
Dubois too was coming off a disappointing loss against heavyweight great Oleksandr Usyk, and the tenth round stoppage against Big Baby Miller clearly reignited his confidence.
Miller is durable and experienced - the Dubois TKO remains his only stoppage loss in his career - and he would likely give Itauma much needed rounds.
The only danger for Itauma however is that Miller could prove to be too stubborn an opponent for his first fight back; a record of 28-1 proves he is a danger and Warren may fancy an easier route back for the 21-year-old.
Jeamie TKV
Fellow Brit Jeamie Tshikeva could be an interesting option as a next opponent for Itauma, especially as the 32-year-old will be keen to return to the ring following his loss to Richard Riakporhe in April.
TKV surrendered the British Heavyweight title in that defeat, the title he won against Frazer Clarke in a 12-round brawl last November.
The 32-year-old Londoner has lost two of his last three fights by knockout but is a wily and tough opponent, and as a former British champion his name holds decent pedigree.
If Itauma and Warren are seeking a decent, but winnable, domestic test on his return, they could do worse than TKV.
Joe Joyce
It seems a long time ago now, but before suffering back-to-back losses against China's Zhilei Zhang, Britain's Joe Joyce was considered something of a boogeyman in the heavyweight division.
Four consecutive knockout wins over Dubois, Carlos Takam, Christian Hammer and Joseph Parker set up Joyce seemingly with the world at his feet. He has since lost five of his last six fights.
Like Miller, Joyce is a durable opponent, once considered to have the best chin in the division. Only Zhang has managed to stop the 40-year-old before the 11th round.
If Itauma is seeking rounds against a heavyweight with a solid chin, Joyce could be an intriguing option, he is also unlikely to threaten to young southpaw too much.
There is however the question of Joyce's general health. He is 40 years old, has notably declined in recent years and now faces widespread calls to retire, would a bout against a devastating puncher like Itauma be a good choice at this point in his career?
Kristian Prenga
A few months ago you would be hard pressed to find any British boxing fan who had the faintest idea of who Kristian Prenga was; following his first round performance against Anthony Joshua however, he could be on the radar of British promoters looking to set up a heavyweight test.
Obviously, that stunning first round performance was dimmed somewhat by the fact Prenga was stopped convincingly by Joshua just minutes later in the second, but he still announced himself to a new audience regardless.
The 35-year-old Albanian is a power-puncher, with all 20 of his victories coming by way of knockout, power AJ discovered quickly in Saudi Arabia.
His right hand will have to be respected, but Itauma could potentially secure a confidence boosting return to form against Prenga in his next outing, and the Albanian will likely fancy the pay packet that comes with the fight.
Martin Bakole
Born in the Democratic Republic Of The Congo but fighting out of Airdrie, Scotland, Martin Bakole has faded from the boxing limelight in the last 18 months.
The 6ft 6' 'Next King of Scotland' was touted as a serious heavyweight contender just a couple of years ago after stopping the hype train of American sensation Jared Anderson in brutal fashion.
Bakole, perhaps unwisely, stepped in at just two days notice to take on Joseph Parker for the vacant WBO Interim World Heavy title in February last year and was dispatched within two rounds by the Kiwi star.
Since then we have seen Bakole in the ring just once, as he laboured to an unconvincing draw against Efe Ajagba in last May.
An Itauma vs Bakole matchup could be an option as a stern test for the 21-year-old in his return to the ring; however, like the aforementioned Miller, the fight comes with potential danger.
Bakole has already proved himself capable of upsetting the odds against young, up-and-coming heavyweights and there is always the chance he could repeat his Anderson performance against Itauma.
