IBF #1 heavyweight Filip Hrgovic given list of six opponents
The IBF No.1 heavyweight contender has been given a six-man shortlist of options for who to fight next time out when he appears on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s fight with Francis Ngannou on March 8.
The fight takes place in Saudi Arabia and is the latest big night in the country that has very much turbocharged the sport in recent times. As if the main event isn’t enticing enough the card will also feature big Croatian title hopeful Filip Hrgovic. He was, for a brief time this weekend, in line to fight Oleksandr Usyk on February 17 as a result of Tyson Fury pulling out with a cut inflicted by sparring. However, the decision was made to pull the whole card but now Hrgovic has other options.
The 31-year-old is coming off the back of a first-round knockout of Mark De Mori on the Day of Reckoning card in December and a controversial points win over Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang.
Now, speaking on the MMA Hour, Saudi Entertainment chief Turki Alalshikh has laid out his plans for IBF mandatory Hrgovic.
“I give him the option to play on the undercard on March 8. Now I call him for six names, choose one of them, accept, and we want them on the 8th of March.
“Hrgovic-Dubois, Hrgovic-Bakole, Hrgovic-Sanchez, Hrgovic-Miller, Kabayal-Hrgovic, Hrgovic-Jared Anderson. If both of them accept, we are ready to deliver the fight to the fans on March 8. We are not playing.”
Hrgovic will want to pick wisely to ensure another win and not risk his position with the IBF while he awaits the winner of the undisputed fight which is now slated for May 18.