Daniel Dubois picked up the biggest win of his career as he stopped Filip Hrgovic in the eighth round to win the interim IBF heavyweight title.
Dubois came on strong in the second half of the bout and earned the win after the ringside doctor decided Hrgovic couldn’t continue due to cuts.
The fight was taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as part of the Matchroom vs. Queensberry 5 on 5, with Hrgovic representing Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, and Dubois representing Frank Warren and Queensberry.
The bout was widely believed to be for the vacant IBF heavyweight title following Oleksandr Usyk’s split decision victory over Tyson Fury in May, with the belt expected to become vacant due to Hrgovic’s long wait as mandatory challenger.
Instead, Usyk filed an exemption with the IBF, meaning that they instead opted to put the interim belt up for grabs for the winner of Hrgovic and Dubois.
Both fighters started the fight at an extremely fast pace, landing big shots, with Hrgovic getting the better of the early exchanges.
He began to tire as the fight reached the halfway stage though, and was struggling with cuts over both eyes, and Dubois had arguably the best round of the fight in the seventh when he had his opponent stumbling after some big punches.
One round later, the doctor waved the fight off due to the cuts, with Dubois picking up the huge win and claiming the interim IBF heavyweight title.
Dubois may now be rewarded with an all-British showdown against Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in September, and he reflected on his win.
“Full respect to Hrgovic, he is a good fighter. It was a lot of experience for me, and now I’ve got this belt and it’s onto the next. I was a bit cold at the start of the fight, I ate some shots but they only woke me up.
“The round before the last I was getting to him. It was coming together like magic. I’m so proud of myself for this. I was on rock bottom last year and now I’m back on top. I’ve heard the next opponent will be AJ, so bring it on. This is my era, this is my time.””
The victory for Dubois continued the streak for Queensberry on the night, following a stoppage win for Hamzah Sheeraz over Ammo Williams, along with Nick Ball defeating Ray Ford by split decision to win the WBA featherweight title, and Willy Hutchinson beating Craig Richards by unanimous decision.
Boxing Social is now on WhatsApp! Join our channel by clicking here and getting all the latest boxing news direct to your phone.