The Croatian is the mandatory challenger for the IBF heavyweight belt held by Usyk
According to Alexandra Krasyukapromoter of the WBO/WBA/IBF/IBO heavyweight champion Alexandra Usikaafter the cancellation of the fight with the WBC world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury the team of the Ukrainian boxer continues to try to organize a title fight against the Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgovic.
Let us remind you that Fury was injured during sparring. The Briton’s injury required stitches, due to which Tyson will not have time to recover by the date of the fight with Usyk on February 17. According to British cutman Jorge Capetillo, the boxer will need at least three months to recover.
The fight for the title of absolute world champion in heavyweight was supposed to take place in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. The undercard featured fights between former IBF cruiserweight world champion Jay Opetai, 19-year-old Moses Itauma and IBF super featherweight world champion Joe Cordina.
Subsequently, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, Turki Al al-Sheikh, announced that the February 17 boxing evening in Riyadh had been canceled and purchased tickets would be refunded.
Hrgovic is the mandatory challenger for the IBF heavyweight belt held by Usyk. The winner of Alexander’s fight with Tyson Fury was obliged to defend his title against the Croatian without any intermediate fights, or to vacate the belt.
It was previously reported that Usik’s team is considering Hrgovic as the main candidate to replace Tyson.
Usik fought his last fight on August 27 in Wroclaw, Poland. The Ukrainian knocked out Daniel Dubois in the 9th round and defended his championship titles.
Hrgovic defeated Mark De Mori from Australia by technical knockout in the first round as part of the “Day of Reckoning” boxing evening in Riyadh on December 23. The Croatian later agreed to fight New Zealander Joseph Parker on the undercard of the Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou fight on March 9.
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.
