IBF Mandatory Challenger, Filip Hrgovic, was far from impressed with Oleksandr Usyk’s performance against Daniel Dubois, where the unified champion recorded his second stoppage win since moving up to the heavyweight division.
The former undisputed cruiserweight champion stopped Dubois in round ten of what was his second defence of the WBA, WBO & IBF titles, after the Ukrainian claimed and then defended the belts against another Brit, Anthony Joshua.
Now, with talks of a fight with fellow champion, Tyson Fury, still some way off, it appears that Hrgovic will be the next challenger for Usyk.
In an interview with Seconds Out, Hrgovic admitted that he doesn’t ‘see anything special’ in the slick champion and maintained his belief that he can upset the odds and become the first man to defeat Usyk as a professional.
“I’m not impressed, I’m not impressed with anyone. He is a good fighter, of course, but I am a good fighter as well. I’ve had seventeen years in boxing, I’ve boxed with Olympic Champions, European Champions, World Champions, I’ve had a long career and sparred with everyone, so I feel like I can beat anyone. If I have a good camp, good focus and give my 100%, I know that I can beat anyone.”
“In that fight with Dubois, he did what he usually does, he is a good fighter with good pace, he throws a lot of punches and he moves a lot, but I don’t see anything special. I feel like Dubois had some good moments and counters, he just needed to throw more, he needed to be more aggressive. I think that I have that endurance, that speed and I can throw more to give him more trouble than Dubois or Joshua.”
Hrgovic’s co-promoter, Eddie Hearn, says he expects the IBF to order Usyk to face the undefeated Croatian and that the fight could take place in December.