Oleksandr Usyk hasn’t come close to losing a fight yet. Now of course, his last outing was a bit shaky, but outside of a controversial low blow/body shot, Usyk dominated Daniel Dubois before eventually stopping him in the ninth round.
Although the Ukrainian’s aura is as strong as ever, Filip Hrgovic believes he has several holes in his game.
“I feel like I can beat Usyk,” said Hrgovic on iFL TV during a recent interview.
At the age of 31, Hrgovic (16-0, 13 KOs) may have only a handful of fights under his belt but the damage he’s caused has been noticed by the sanctioning bodies. The IBF, in particular, likes what they see. With the Croatian tabbed as their mandatory challenger to Usyk’s unified throne, Hrgovic is just waiting on a date and time.
Facing Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) might bring a smile to his face, but for most of the boxing world, if a deal between them comes to fruition, it’ll likely be met with moans and groans.
It isn’t Hrgovic’s fault. Fans, media members, and pundits have been waiting for Usyk and Tyson Fury, the division’s WBC champion, to fully unify titles. Their undisputed clash, however, doesn’t appear likely for the foreseeable future. With Fury on the verge of fighting Francis Ngannou, along with his comments making mention of fighting in the UFC, it’s ostensible that Fury isn’t interested in facing just pure boxers anymore.
That said, let’s live in a fantasy world for a second. If Fury takes care of business against Ngannou and changes his mind and opts to face Usyk next, Hrgovic could play a vital role. In all likelihood, the highly-ranked contender would have to give his blessings in order for Usyk and Fury to get it on.
Ultimately, a truck full of cash could be thrown in Hrgovic’s face. While some may take the gigantic payday and take a seat in the passenger’s side of the car, Hrgovic flat-out isn’t interested.
“I can make much more than this step-aside deal. I don’t want to accept any step aside.”