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Is Filip Hrgovic still a serious heavyweight contender ahead of David Adeleye contest?
While attention will focus on heir apparent Moses Itauma in his battle against veteran Dillian Whyte this weekend, Filip Hrgovic will be keen to prove on the undercard that he can still be be a top heavyweight.
The fighter takes on David Adeleye, live on DAZN, this Saturday, with Hrgovic’s standing in boxing’s top division now less clear. A huge win over Zhilei Zhang in 2022 announced Hrgovic’s arrival as a contender in the division, but ‘El Animal’ has done little since to build on that victory.
But an eighth-round technical stoppage loss to then-International Boxing Federation (IBF) interim champion Daniel Dubois in 2024 seemed to halt his momentum.
A win over an out-of-form Joe Joyce revitalised Hrgovic’s hopes, but is the Croatian still a serious heavyweight contender?
Filip Hrgovic’s standing with the sanctioning bodies
The loss to Dubois has not impacted Hrgovic’s stock with the four major sanctioning bodies, who all still rank the Croatian.
In fact, aside from the International Boxing Federation (IBF), who list Hrgovic at 12th, ‘El Animal’ is listed as one of the top 10 contenders with the remaining organisations.
Two sanctioning bodies are currently in agreement when it comes to the 33-year-old. The World Boxing Association (WBA) and the World Boxing Council (WBC) both agree that Hrgovic is currently the sixth best heavyweight.
Leigh Dawney/Queensberry
The World Boxing Organisation (WBO) still has Hrgovic at second, behind Moses Itauma and interim champion Joseph Parker.
This gives Hrgovic options when eyeing up world title shots, but it is not necessarily a reflection on his standing in the heavyweight division. Plenty of big names are absent from various sanctioning bodies’ lists, due to holding a different organisation’s minor belt.
Although Hrgovic will put his WBO international belt on the line against Adeleye, the other sanctioning bodies still rank him, partly because the WBO’s interim and inter-continental belts are viewed with greater standing. The minor belt also explains why Hrgovic is ranked at number two with the WBO.
Whilst BoxRec has Hrgovic at number 15 in the heavyweight division, The Ring’s list has him at sixth. Clearly, there is an expectation that Hrgovic will be involved in the heavyweight title picture going forward.
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Short-notice victory over Joe Joyce returns Filip Hrgovic to heavyweight relevance
Hrgovic’s last outing produced his most notable win since victory over Zhang. Joyce had been set to face domestic rival Whyte at the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester in April, only for ‘the Bodysnatcher’ to pull out a month away from fight night due to a training injury.
With four weeks’ notice, Hrgovic was parachuted in to face Joyce and save the main event. Quickly, the story of the fight changed from a domestic dust-up to a last-chance saloon for either fighters’ hopes of challenging for a world title.
Both medallists at the 2016 Olympic games, Joyce taking silver, Hrgovic winning bronze, the pair had met in the amateurs, the former winning a split decision in 2013.
Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions
Although cut early on into the contest, Hrgovic looked in control thanks to his quicker hands and accuracy. Joyce did not come out of the first round without damage either, his face clearly puffed up due to Hrgovic’s right hand.
Even when there were lulls for Hrgovic during the fight, Joyce was unable to do much in return, leading to a comfortable unanimous decision win from the judges for the away fighter.
Joyce has lost four of his last five fights, indicating that the Brit’s contender status is on the wane, if not over already. But that should not take the shine off Hrgovic’s win.
His victory over Zhang was unconvincing and manyfelt that the decision could have easily gone the other way, but Hrgovic’s performance during his victory over Joyce indicated that he has more gears to go through.
David Adeleye – a risky fight for Filip Hrgovic
Leigh Dawney/Queensberry
Hrgovic’s next opponent is 28-year-old Adeleye, who has yet to establish himself on the international scene after 14 wins and one loss.
For Hrgovic, this is a risky fight. Adeleye has had to rebuild after losing to Fabio Wardley in 2023, doing so with wins over solid British-level fighters Solomon Dacres and Jeamie Tshikeva.
A win over the Brit would do little to improve Hrgovic’s standing in the heavyweight division, but it is necessary for the Croatian to move on to bigger names.
Filip Hrgovic’s next steps
If Hrgovic does the business against Adeleye on Saturday night, attention will quickly turn to what is next for ‘El Animal’.
The heavyweight division is in a frozen state thanks to undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk holding all the belts in boxing’s most glamourous division. Many are predicting that the belts will soon fracture, with no movement in regards to the mandatory order that Usyk must defend against WBO interim champion Parker.
If Usyk refuses to take the Parker fight, that could potentially work in Hrgovic’s favour. The WBO belt would be stripped from the Ukrainian, and likely given to interim champ Parker.
Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Whilst Itauma, the WBO’s no.1 contender at heavyweight, would be first in line, there are strong rumours that the prospect will face Usyk, at the behest of boxing’s kingmaker Turki Alalshikh.
That would be ideal for Hrgovic, placing him as the highest ranked contender to face Parker for the full WBO belt. Alternatively, if Parker does get his long-awaited shot at Usyk, the WBO might just order Hrgovic and Itauma to fight as a final eliminator.
The landscape of the heavyweight division calls for patience, and if Hrgovic keeps winning, he might find himself well positioned to sweep up – but only if the cards fall well for him.
Watch Itauma vs Whyte live on DAZN
Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte is live and exclusive on DAZN PPV this Saturday, August 16. Buy the PPV for a one-off fee or get it for free by purchasing a DAZN annual subscription (exc. US).
More information, pricing and to buy click here.
