Filip Hrgovic: record, next fight and profile →
Hrgovic, Zhang, Final Press Conference Photos Gallery - Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua have will lock horns again at the King Abdullah Sports City Arena in the coastal city of Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Saturday August 20. (photos by Mark Robinson)
It could be a big weekend for Filip Hrgovic, but he has been waiting a long time for it. On Saturday night, on the Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua undercard in Jeddah, the unbeaten Croatian finally gets to take part in an IBF heavyweight eliminator when he faces Zhilei Zhang. Victory would put him near the front of the line to face the winner of the main event.
Undefeated heavyweight Zhang “Big Bang” Zhilei (24-0-1, 19 KOs) has touched down in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia a few days early to prepare for his IBF heavyweight title eliminator against Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic (14-0, 12 KOs). The fight is set for August 20th, and the winner will become the IBF’s number one heavyweight contender.
As BoxingScene.com previously reported, Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgovic (14-0, 12 KOs) will collide with China’s undefeated Zhilei Zhang (24-0-1, 19 KOs) in an IBF final eliminator.
Also on the card, Liverpool’s Callum Smith (28-1, 20 KOs) returns to the scene of his finest moment where he stopped British rival George Groves in seven rounds at the King Abdullah Sports City Arena in September 2018 to be crowned the WBA Super-Middleweight World Champion and the winner of the World Boxing Super Series Muhammad Ali Trophy.
First details of the supporting cast to the unified heavyweight world title rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua have now been confirmed. The rivals will lock horns again in the coastal city of Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Saturday August 20.
LAS VEGAS – It isn’t the high-stakes elimination match for which Zhang Zhilei prepared, but it is better than having trained for nothing. BoxingScene.com has learned that the unbeaten Chinese heavyweight will square off against American Scott Alexander in a 10-round fight on the Canelo Alvarez-Dmitry Bivol undercard Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena. Los Angeles’ Alexander
BoxingScene.com has learned that Filip Hrgovic has withdrawn from his 12-round heavyweight fight against Zhang Zhilei. Croatia’s Hrgovic (14-0, 12 KOs) and China’s Zhilei (23-0-1, 18 KOs) were scheduled to meet in an IBF elimination match Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena that would’ve determined the New Jersey-based sanctioning organization’s mandatory challenger for the winner of the upcoming rematch between champion Oleksandr Usyk and former champ Anthony Joshua.
Back in early January, former title challenger Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (33-2) was ordered by the IBF to face Filip Hrgovic (14-0) in a heavyweight final eliminator. The winner would have become IBF/WBA/WBO/IBO champion Oleksandr Usyk’s mandatory challenger.
As previously reported, the IBF heavyweight final eliminator between Filip Hrgovic (14-0, 12 KOs) and Zhilei Zhang (23-0-1, 18 KOs) will take place on the Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol undercard on May 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.