The Croatian heavyweight gives a slight preference to the Ukrainian in the fight with the “Gypsy King”
Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgovic gives a slight advantage to the WBA/WBO/IBF/IBO champion Alexander Usyk before the WBC title holder Tyson Fury.
“I’m not a big fan of changing my mind after every fight. If someone gives a bad performance, people change their minds: “He’s finished, he’s not good enough.” I’m not a fan of that,” the Croatian said in an interview with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions.
“Before and after the fight between Fury and Francis Ngannou, my favorite is Usyk. Small, but I give him preference because, in my opinion, he is a more complete fighter. He has excellent technique and throws a lot of punches. The antennae is small, but not weak, it is quite strong. He has great defense, great footwork and is always in great shape. That’s why I give him preference in this fight.”
Hrgovic is the mandatory challenger for the IBF heavyweight belt, which the Ukrainian holds. The winner of the fight between Alexander and Tyson will be required to defend the title without any intermediate fights. Otherwise, the IBF belt will become vacant, and the Croatian will need to find an opponent for the title fight.
Philip will fight next on December 23 against Marc de Maury. The fight will take place on the undercard of the double boxing evening between former heavyweight world champions Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia.
The Usik-Fury fight for the title of absolute heavyweight champion will officially take place on February 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Initially, the fight was planned to be organized on December 23 in Riyadh. However, it later became clear that the “Gypsy King” would not have time to prepare for this time after the fight with Francis Ngannou at the end of October.
Source: Sportarena
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
