Filip Hrgovic scored a knockdown in spherical two en path to changing into the primary to cease Rydell Booker. Photograph by Ed Mulholland/ Matchroom
Ring Journal champion Oleksandr Usyk may need an impediment earlier than dealing with Tyson Fury subsequent yr.
Promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing introduced Saturday night time he obtained a written order from the IBF for Usyk to defend his world title belt towards obligatory challenger Filip Hrgovic. Hearn co-promotes Hrgovic, a 2016 Olympic Bronze medalist, together with Wasserman Boxing.
Hearn additionally introduced each Matchroom and Wasserman are requesting an instantaneous purse bid.
“We simply received the information that Filip Hrgovic has been ordered to face Oleksandr Usyk subsequent,” Hearn instructed DAZN’s Claudia Trejo in an on-air interview from Cleveland. “Hrgovic is the IBF obligatory. We truly requested an instantaneous purse bid. That’s going to be the following combat for Oleksandr Usyk. Very excited for Hrgovic and Matchroom. I’m very excited to see that combat subsequent.”
The announcement offers a major blow to the deliberate unification combat, which is penciled for the spring of subsequent yr, between Usyk and Fury, who holds the WBC world title belt. Usyk owns the IBF, WBO, and WBA world titles.
Fury faces Dereck 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 resolution in his final bout on August 20. It was a rematch of their September 25, 2021 conflict, which Usyk additionally received by unanimous resolution.
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, profitable a hard-fought unanimous resolution 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 lined boxing in Southern California and overseas since 2000. Francisco additionally covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He may be reached by e mail at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing
