Filip Hrgovic scored a knockdown in spherical two en path to turning into the primary to cease Rydell Booker. Photograph by Ed Mulholland/ Matchroom
Ring Journal champion Oleksandr Usyk might need an impediment earlier than dealing with Tyson Fury subsequent yr.
Promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing introduced Saturday evening he acquired a written order from the IBF for Usyk to defend his title in opposition to necessary challenger Filip Hrgovic. Hearn co-promotes Hrgovic, a 2016 Olympic Bronze medalist, together with Wasserman Boxing.
Hearn additionally introduced that each Matchroom and Wasserman are requesting an instantaneous purse bid.
“We simply acquired the information that Filip Hrgovic has been ordered to face Oleksandr Usyk subsequent,” Hearn informed DAZN’s Claudia Trejo in an on-air interview from Cleveland. “Hrgovic is the IBF necessary. We really requested an instantaneous purse bid. That’s going to be the following battle for Oleksandr Usyk. Very excited for Hrgovic and Matchroom. I’m very excited to see that battle subsequent.”
The announcement offers a major blow to the deliberate unification battle, which is penciled for the spring of subsequent yr, between Usyk and Fury, who holds the WBC world title belt. Usyk owns the Ring, IBF, WBO and WBA titles.
Fury faces Derek Chisora on December 3 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.
Usyk (20-0, 13 knockouts), the previous undisputed cruiserweight champion, defeated Anthony Joshua by unanimous choice in his final bout on August 20. It was a rematch of their September 25, 2021 conflict, which Usyk also won by unanimous decision.
The southpaw Usyk, who’s initially from Shypyntsi, Ukraine, is managed by Egis Klimas.
Hrgovic (15-0, 12 KOs), who resides in Zagreb, Croatia, additionally fought on August 20, winning a hard-fought unanimous decision over Zhilei Zhang in a conflict of unbeaten heavyweights. The 30-year-old is ranked No. 8 by The Ring.
Each Usyk and Hrgovic have appeared on DAZN streams during the last a number of months.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has coated boxing in Southern California and overseas since 2000. Francisco additionally covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He may be reached at [email protected]
