HOLLYWOOD, Fla.—Rydell Booker is not averse to playing the role of opponent.
All that he asks is for a fighting chance.
The 39-year old heavyweight from Detroit has been provided just that, with weeks in advance to get himself into fighting shape for a showdown with Croatia’s Filip Hrgoviç (11-0, 9KOs). The two collide this Saturday, live on DAZN from Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
While the bout wasn’t formally announced until early October, the matchup was on the table well before then as Hrgoviç—a 2016 Olympic Bronze medalist and aspiring heavyweight contender—and his team mapped out a two-fight schedule after the pandemic. Such a proactive approach proved beneficial to Booker (26-3, 13KOs), as the latter of the two opponents on that schedule and with nothing but time to get ready.
“It’s very good to take advantage of this opportunity,” Booker told BoxingScene.com. “I’m at a point where promoters are trying to call me on three weeks’ notice like they did with the [Kubrat] Pulev fight [last November].
“I actually had a full training camp to prepare for this fight. I’m definitely prepared.”
Booker returned to the ring in early 2018 after having been away from the ring for more than 13 years following a September 2004 loss to James Toney. The comeback trail has seen the heavyweight gatekeeper win four of six starts, with one of the two losses coming in a questionable 10-round decision to unbeaten Jermaine Franklin last April in Atlantic City.
A more convincing defeat—though in a competitive performance—came in a decision defeat to Bulgaria’s Pulev (28-1, 14KOs) last November, having since been out of the ring for exactly 52 weeks come fight night. The ESPN+-aired bout came on short notice, with Booker arriving at a near-career heaviest 248 ¼ pounds.
Booker appears much trimmer for Saturday’s affair, one where he knows exactly what to expect—of himself and of his opponent.
“Personally and outside the ring, Hrgovic is a great guy. I had the pleasure of previously working with him in camp,” notes Booker. “I know what to look for and what to expect. I also know what he expects me to look like. They pretty much expecting me to not be in shape, they expecting to just have fun and party. They’re in for a rude awakening.
A regional title is at stake, ideally of benefit to Hrgoviç who is angling for a major title fight by no later than the end of 2021. It’s just one more aspect of the fight which serves as motivation for the perceived B-side.
“A win on Saturday will be great for my career,” states Booker. “We just found out that the fight is for like an IBF Intercontinental title or something like that. It will give me a world ranking and I can look for bigger things after that.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
