Filip Hrgovic’s Title Shot in Jeopardy as Hearn Focuses on Joshua
Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn is leading the charge for two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony “AJ” Joshua (28-3, 25KO) to fight for the undisputed crown next. Yet, he seems to be leaving IBF mandatory challenger Filip “El Animal” Hrgovic (17-0, 14KO) out in the cold, whose title shot remains in limbo.
Joshua made the ultimate statement with a destructive second-round stoppage over Francis Ngannou. Watching the former MMA champion laid out on the canvas brought to mind AJ’s comment on knocking out guys who faced WBC champion Tyson Fury.
The video clip of that brutal knockout has gone viral on social media and is an instant classic meme. Hearn has been rambling non-stop on singing Joshua’s praises. While speaking with the press, he pushed for his fighter to face the winner between Fury and unified champion Oleksandr Usyk for undisputed.
“There was a huge amount of pressure . . . If we won this fight, then he would fight the winner of Fury v Usyk. You’re looking at the number one heavyweight in the world.”
Eddie Hearn
THE FORGOTTEN MANDATORY CHALLENGER
With Hearn making Joshua a top priority, one has to ask where this leaves Hrgovic. The Croatian has been sitting in the mandatory spot for a long time. He was on the verge of fighting for the titles until the IBF rescinded the order. This move by the organization paved the way for Usyk to face WBA Regular champion Daniel Dubois.
In his last outing, El Animal scored a first-round stoppage over unknown Mark Di Mora. Despite scoring a devastating knockout, his accomplishment didn’t move the needle within the boxing community. In addition, Hearn hasn’t spoken much about Hrgovic fighting for the title in quite sometime.
To be fair, he does deserve a shot at the titles before Joshua, considering how long he’s been waiting. However, boxing is a business, and the reality is Joshua puts way more butts in seats. Unfortunately, Hrgovic is on the verge of becoming the new Dillan Whyte.
