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Filip Hrgovic set for sliding doors opportunity as Joe Joyce bout confirmed
They say in life that when one door closes, another one opens.
In boxing, the sliding doors metaphor is an apt one. Fighters and promoters can spend ages trying to ensure one remains free to the world, while others remain firmly shut.
Sometimes however, those doors have to be flung wide in a hurry, as figures scramble to find an answer when their first choice unexpectedly traps their fingers in the doorframe.
This is all to say that with Dillian Whyte's departure from what would have been a blockbuster all-British clash against Joe Joyce, opportunity has knocked for Filip Hrgovic.
The Croatian star may not be the sexiest name in a heavyweight division currently in the midst of a sea change between the old guard and the new generation.
But he is still a fighter who has been gifted another shot in the co-main event on a stacked card, the first of a groundbreaking deal between Queensberry Promotions and DAZN.
In part, of course, this is a rescue mission - and fighters who step into the breach at short notice can frequently be rewarded with the favour of the sport's powerbrokers.
(Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing)
Yet it is also a second chance to launch an unexpected bid underneath the bright lights as the sport continues to shape up its plans for 2025 and beyond.
Thirty-nine years old, Joyce himself knows that he is firmly in the home stretch of a career that has promised plenty and not quite translated amateur joy to professional success.
He will be hoping to use this match as a springboard to a potential bout on the Riyadh Season cycle that brings together the biggest names for the biggest nights.
But why not Hrgovic too? Why can this fight, in front of a busy arena, not be the gateway that leads back to the upper tiers of the division's ranks and a possible title shot?
His record is far from poor. There is plenty of knockout mileage to his name, and his lone defeat came against Daniel Dubois, in an eliminator for the IBF interim crown.
(Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
His victories showcase an impressive streak in the ring too. Wins over Zhilei Zhang and Demsey McKean a year apart between 2022 and 2023 further built his reputation.
He will benefit from a longer period to prepare for this dance too. This is not the situation that Martin Bakole faced when he jumped into the ring with Joseph Parker last month.
It might seem fanciful to consider. The sport is already crawling with veterans still able to shake down at the top for big belts and young starlets hungry to put their name in lights.
But for both Hrgovic and the man he must face in Joyce, there could be something still to give at the high table. The ring never forgets - and sometimes, it can even forgive too.
They say in life that when one door closes, another one opens. Come April 5, it will be open wide for one man to walk through, towards a fascinating future.
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