August 21, 2022 - Filip Hrgović beats Zhilei Zhang after a tough 12 rounds and is the new mandatory challenger for the IBF world heavyweight title. 

Filip Hrgović is the new mandatory challenger for the IBF heavyweight world champion belt. Filip won by a unanimous decision against Zhilei Zhang and thus achieved the biggest success of his career in the IBF world heavyweight title eliminator fight at The Jewel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 

This is only the third time that Hrgović did not end the fight with a knockout, and this was Zhang's first loss in his 26th professional appearance. So far, he had 24 wins and one draw with 19 knockouts.

The most difficult and important fight of Filip Hrgović's professional boxing career turned out to be just that. Chinese boxer Zhilei Zhang was just the kind of opponent needed in a fight that serves as the mandatory challenger for the world title, according to the IBF organization.

The challenge was thrown at the best Croatian heavyweight, who turned the fight around after losing halfway through. 

Filip didn't really get off to a bad start. He controlled the first round well and seemed to find a rhythm with Zhang at the start, and was in control until the last half minute when Zhang got a left hook. Filip then fell to the floor for the first time in his career, which resulted in losing 10:8.

Filip returned in the second part in the best possible way, but in the third, he inexplicably fell and started having big problems. He stopped being active and let Zhang take the third and fourth rounds at the expense of several good shots.

However, Zhang's fatigue was unquestionable, and in the tenth round, Hrgović had the best boxing, was dominant, and seemed to be heading for victory. Zhang came back once again in the 11th round with several good shots.

The last round belonged entirely to Hrgović, who asked for a break, but Zhang, despite his increasingly obvious fatigue, held on until the end. In the end, they both raised their hands, believing they had done enough to win.

However, according to the judges, Hrgović was better. Two judges scored 115-112, which meant that the Croatian heavyweight took eight rounds, while according to one judge, he took seven and won the fight 114-113.

All in all, a hard-fought victory as it should be for the chance to become IBF world champion. 

"This was a real war in the ring; this is for my father who died a few months ago; this is for you, Pero Hrgović, a special man! He and my beautiful wife gave me the energy to do this. Look at how beautiful she is; she's an angel, guys, be careful", said Hrgović and then added:

"It was a very tough fight, I was losing, but then in the second part, I gave it my all and hit him hard. For the last six rounds, he just stood there; I wasn't shaken at all by the knockdown. I have to be honest; he surprised me. He's better than I thought. It was a tough fight, but I think I won."

Hrgović will fight the winner of Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua for the world title.

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February 8, 2022 - Croatian boxer Filip Hrgović finally has an opponent in the IBF Final Eliminator as Chinese boxer Zhang Zhilei has accepted his offer 

Index.hr reports that Zhang Zhilei has accepted to fight Filip Hrgović. Zhilei, the 12th boxer according to the IBF, has agreed to enter the ring with the undefeated Croat. The best 11 fighters according to the IBF rankings refused to fight Hrgović before him. The offer finally reached the 38-year-old Chinese boxer. The winner of the fight becomes the IBF heavyweight mandatory challenger. 

Zhang recorded his 23rd victory in his 24th professional career fight in November. He celebrated against the American Craig Lewis with a break in the second round and called out Hrgović. "As long as you think you're good, come. Hrgović is a young and motivated boxer, but for me, he's a baby," said Zhang, who is nine years older than Hrgović.

"Try to get a little faster because otherwise, it won't be an interesting fight. Just be a little faster. If you are slow as usual, the match will be boring," Hrgović replied.

At the same time as Zhang, the offer was received by Australian boxer Demsey McKean, who is one place ahead of the Chinese boxer. McKean refused to fight Hrgović, and Zhang asked for an additional 24 hours to reconsider and finally accepted the IBF's offer. Recall, before this, Hrogović was rejected by Tony Yoka, Luis Ortiz, and Joseph Parker. 

At the end of last year, Hrgović reached his 14th victory in the same number of professional fights.

The winner of this IBF Final Eliminator fight will have the opportunity to box for the IBF champion belt. However, when that will take place is not yet clear because this belt is held by Oleksandr Usik who will fight Joshua first, and then await Tyson Fury, and so on. 

Journalist Dan Rafael reports that the fight could take place in Europe as one of the introductory clashes ahead of the title fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua. 

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January 22, 2022 - It has been a whirlwind of unfortunate events for Croatian boxer Filip Hrgović, who now waits for yet another new opponent in the IBF Final Eliminator. 

It's been quite the last few weeks for Croatian boxer Filip Hrgović. After Tony Yoka accepted Hrgović's offer for a big rematch, on Friday morning it was confirmed that there will be no fight, reports Boxing Scene and Gol.hr.

The IBF ruled in favor of an appeal filed by Martin Bakole who rebelled because he felt Tony Yoka owed him a fight. He and Yoka were due in the ring in December in France, but that fight was postponed due to the pandemic. Since the French fighter owes him a fight, Yoka cannot make a deal with any other fighter.

Martin Bakole's lawyers provided evidence confirming that the fight was only postponed to April this year and not completely canceled as claimed by the Yoko team.

This means that the IBF is searching for a new opponent for Filip Hrgović, who was previously rejected by Luis Ortiz and Joseph Parker.

Joe Joyce is expected to be next on the list, but he is still recovering from his injury. If he refuses the invitation, the IBF could contact Agit Kabayel, and next on the list is Chinese boxer Zhilei Zhang, who has already spoken publicly about the fight with the Croatian boxer and who again seems to be the most realistic opponent.

For now, Hrgović and his team will wait for one of the mentioned boxers to accept the IBF invitation. The boxers have three days to respond to the offer, followed by negotiations.

The winner of that fight will wait for the outcome of the upcoming rematch between Oleksandr Usik and Anthony Joshua, which should take place in the spring.

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January 14, 2022 - Filip Hrgović and Tony Yoka have agreed to fight in the IBF Final Eliminator for the Heavyweight World Championship.

Filip Hrgović has finally won the fight of his career! His opponent will be his biggest rival yet, Frenchman Tony Yoka, reports Gol.hr.

After famous boxing promoter Eddie Hearn announced the news, it was officially confirmed by Hrgović's managers, the Sauerland brothers. 

"CONFIRMED: @TonyYoka has formally accepted tonight in writing the challenge to fight @Filip_Hrgovic in a final IBF Final Eliminator for the Heavyweight World Championship - El Animal has found a dance partner," reads their announcement on Twitter. 

Recall, due to COVID-19, the Frenchman lost the fight against Martin Bakole, while Hrgović was rejected by Luis Ortiz and Joseph Parker. Yoka received a tempting offer as the next ranked fighter. 

Tony Yoka is arguably the best boxer against whom Hrgovic will meet in the ring for the first time as a professional fighter. Recall, the two have fought three times in amateur competitions. The French boxer won twice and became the Olympic champion in 2016, beating Filip Hrgović in the super heavyweight semifinals by a controversial split decision. Yoka went on to win the gold medal over Joe Joyce after an even more disputed call. 

Both boxers are currently undefeated as professional boxers - Yoka (11-0, 9 KO) and Hrgovic (14-0, 12 KO). 

Negotiations on the division of earnings and the location of the fight will follow. But one thing is for certain - it will be the biggest boxing spectacle in Filip's career. 

As for the position of the main challenger of the IBF champion, the winner of this fight will have the opportunity to box for the IBF champion belt. However, when that will take place is not yet clear because this belt is held by Oleksandr Usik who will fight Joshua first, and then await Tyson Fury, and so on. 

A victory would surely bring Hrgovic great things, while a defeat would be a big step backward in his career.

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January 3, 2022 - Croatia's best boxer Filip Hrgović is hard at work preparing for new challenges, and allegedly everything has been agreed upon for his next fight. So could it be Filip Hrgović against Luis Ortiz?

Namely, Hrgović's promoters, the Sauerland brothers, announced that Luis Ortiz's manager accepted the fight against the Croatian boxer, reports Gol.hr. 

Hrgovic's opponent in the "final eliminator", i.e., the qualifying fight for the chance to become a world champion, should be 42-year-old Cuban Luis Ortiz.

It would be Filip Hrgović's biggest professional boxing fight. Luis Ortiz has been at the top of international boxing for years. Today, at the age of 42, he is the 10th heavyweight globally. He has 33 wins and only two defeats in his career.

He knocked out Martin on Saturday

On Saturday, Ortiz defeated Charles Martin, one of Hrgović's many undefeated opponents, by technical knockout in the sixth round and improved his professional ratio to 33-2-2 (28 knockouts). The only two defeats were against Anthony Joshua in the title fight. If he wants a third chance, he will have to beat Hrgović first, who would be the most formidable opponent in his career so far (14-0), reports Index.hr.

"Hrgović against Ortiz in the final eliminator. Who wins?" Brothers Kalle and Nisse Sauerland wrote on Twitter, then tweeted on Instagram, where they tagged Ortiz's promoter Jay Jimenez and thanked him for accepting the fight.

A belt fight eliminator or final eliminator?

ESPN writes that Ortiz's next opponent could be Andy Ruiz, Joseph Parker, or Joe Joyce, which the Sauerland brothers followed with a contradictory comment: "He has to fight Hrgović if he wants the final eliminator." Therefore, it is not clear whether the winner of this fight would immediately get a chance for the IBF belt or only then go to the final qualifiers.

Hrgović was tipped for many great fights last year, mostly against Martin but also against Yoka, Parker, Zhang. He fought only against unknowns like Kartozija, Radonjić, and Ahmatović, and returnee Booker in the last two years. Despite routine victories, he dropped to 37th place in the world in the BoxRes rankings, even though he was once close to the top ten.

Hrgović has been boxing professionally for four years and is currently undefeated. 

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November 20, 2021 - The Filip Hrgović Las Vegas fight has officially been confirmed for December 4, when the Croatian boxer will meet American Scott Alexander at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Croatian boxer Filip Hrgović (13-0) will have his next professional fight on Saturday, December 4 in Las Vegas against American Scott Alexander (16-4-2), whom BoxRec ranks 179th among the best heavyweights in the world, reports Sportnet.hr.

Hrgović thus returns to the ring after winning against Montenegrin Marko Radonjić on September 10. According to the IBF, the Croatian heavyweight is next in line for the fight of challengers in the heavyweight category. Charles Martin will fight Luis Ortiz on January 1, 2022, and the winner of that match could be Hrgović's next opponent.

"I am looking forward to returning to the ring and fighting at the big spectacle in America. I’ve always wanted to box in Las Vegas, where the big champions fight. My next opponent is tough, but I trained hard, and I will be ready to give the fans another great fight," said Hrgović.

Hrgović's promoter Kalle Sauerland thanked Eddie Hearn, with whom this match was organized in cooperation.

"We are thrilled to have teamed up with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing to give Filip this fantastic opportunity to fight in Las Vegas as part of a big event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. This is an opportunity for Filip to end the year with another win before focusing on the 2022 World Champion title."

Manager Željko Karajica adds that Filip is ready and believes that 2022 will be a great year for him.

"As always, Filip struggled to be in top form when he entered the ring. I'm sure a fight in a big show like this one in Las Vegas will give him even more motivation. Filip is getting closer to the challenge for the 2022 world title. It may be a great year for him, but he must first get through Scott Alexander on December 4."

Eddie Hearn also spoke, claiming that Hrgović is ready for a great 2022.

"It's great to get Filip back in action before the end of 2021. El Animal is knocking loudly on the door of big opponents in the heavyweight division, and next year we expect him to break that door and participate and win some big fights."

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September 10, 2021 - A Croatian boxing spectacle will be witnessed tonight thanks to Filip Hrgović, Željko Mavrović, and Peter Milas!

Filip Hrgović has his first fight this year in Klagenfurt tonight. Before him, in one of the pre-fights, Željko Mavrović enters the ring for the first time since 1998, and the great evening of Croatian boxing is completed by Petar Milas, whose opponent in Paris is one of the best young heavyweights of today, Tony Yoka, reports Index.hr.

Boxing has not been in the center of attention of the Croatian sports public for a long time, but tonight's program is an excellent reason to change that for at least one day.

Hrgović's first fight in 10 months

Hrgović had not fought since November last year when he defeated Rydell Booker in the fifth round by technical knockout and formally won the IBF International heavyweight title in the US. 

Since then, Hrgović and his camp have complained that no one wants to accept a fight against him, picking on some of the top heavyweights who could bring him closer to fighting for the world title. In the meantime, he duly ignored Alen Babić's challenges, justifying that he was below his level, and then arranged a fight with Montenegrin Marko Radonjić, the 229th heavyweight on BoxRec's list.

Radonjić is a 31-year-old from Cetinje who has 22 professional fights and 22 victories behind him, all by knockout. The ratio seems scary, more impressive than Hrgović's (12 wins, 10 knockouts), but Hrgović is by far the most renowned fighter he has ever encountered.

At yesterday's weigh-in in the center of Klagenfurt, Hrgović weighed 112 kilograms, which is in line with his usual weight for fights, while Radonjić weighed slightly more (113.2 kg).

Mavrović returns after 23 years

At the same Matchroom boxing event, Željko Mavrović will return, who last fought in 1998 for the world title against Lennox Lewis. Croatian boxing fans remember the seventh round, in which Mavrović had the fantastic Briton on the ropes. Still, he failed to finish it and eventually lost by a unanimous decision of the judges.

And such a defeat, the first after 27 consecutive victories, was quite an undertaking given Lewis' power at the time, and many expected his career to flourish after that, as he had not yet entered his 30s, the best years for a boxer. He is now in his 50s, and they are long behind him, but after watching the clash of the legends between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones, he became motivated, and now his ultimate goal is to arrange a fight against Tyson.

Mavrović went from boxing to entrepreneurship, but his business with macrobiotics failed. In recent years, he has been sought after in numerous roles in the world of boxing, but he has not held any of them, except for commentary on RTL. He left it to others for tonight because he would be on the opposite side of the camera.

His opponent is the 26-year-old Georgian Ramazi Gogichashvili, a "journeyman" who fights often and mostly loses. He has won 14 fights in his career, lost 35, and two ended in a draw, but even such a ratio is misleading as he has won only two of 26 fights in the last five years. He was last caught by Croatian boxer Agron Smakići two weeks ago and knocked out by Alen Babić two years ago.

At the official weigh-in, Mavrović weighed 99.2 kg, and Gogičašvili weighed significantly more - 111 kg.

The Croatian Boxing Federation did not issue a license to Mavrović, so tonight will be a revival fight.

Split's Milas faces Yoka

In Paris, a little further west at the Roland Garros tennis center, an event will take place where Peter Milas will fight the young French star Tony Yoka. Like that of Hrgović and Radonjić, it will be a clash of two undefeated boxers. Yoka has won all ten fights (eight by knockout) and Milas all 15 (11 by knockout).

Like Hrgović, the 26-year-old from Split owns the international champion belt, but according to the IBO version. This will be his first fight in almost two years when he defeated South African Johnny Muller by a unanimous decision. Yoka has a path similar to Hrgović's, whom he defeated in the semifinals of the Olympic Games in Rio 2016. Milas is conceived as one of his opponents on the way to the world title.

Milas fights with about 100 kilograms, so this time as well. He weighed in at 100.8 kg, and Yoka at 108.3.

Of all three Croatian fights tonight, the first on the program is Mavrović's, expected at 19:30, with a broadcast on RTL 2.

Filip Hrgović should start at around 22:30, and Milas should be in the ring against Yoka at around 22:00. RTL will broadcast these two fights on its first channel.

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February 27, 2021 - Filip Hrgovic will meet American Michael Hunter in the fight of his career. If he wins, he will fight for the IBF world champion title. 

Index.hr reports that the best Croatian boxer Filip Hrgović (12-0), will meet American Michael Hunter (19-1-1).

His Team Sauerland confirmed this on social media, where a poster of the two boxers was posted. The date of the fight is not yet known.

Whoever wins this fight will get a chance to win the IBF title. Namely, the winner awaits the better of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

The date of the fight is not yet known.
Hunter is currently fourth in the challenger rankings and was supposed to fight second-placed compatriot Charles Martin, but the latter has since withdrawn. 

Let’s do this baby!!! ????? #HrgovicHunter pic.twitter.com/bLJEJY2Afw

— Kalle & Nisse Sauerland (@SauerlandBros) February 26, 2021

Since the third challenger, Ukrainian Oleksandr Usik, is not interested in the IBF title and allegedly wants to box for the world title according to the World Boxing Organization (WBO) version, the next in line is Hrgovic. The IBF title, let us remind you, is held by Briton Anthony Joshua.

Hrgovic's British promoter Eddie Hearn said recently that he had already offered this fight to Hunter but received no response. However, it is one thing to box against Hrgovic in a regular fight and another for the first challenger's position in the IBF rankings, writes boxingnews24.com.

Namely, the Hrgovic - Hunter fight winner will finally get the opportunity to box against the winner of two fights between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

Hunter has said before that Hrgovic's promoters have his number and are free to contact him.

"Hrgovic and I fought twice in the same program last year. I fought harder opponents every time, and after the fight, I would ask them: Why don't you want to let me fight Filip Hrgovic? They answered me how there is always a green light and that they are just preparing him for that caliber of fighting. If he is ready, so am I. I am absolutely ready to fight against Hrgovic; in fact, I have asked for it a couple of times already," Hunter said last year.

For the Croatian boxer, this means a chance for a direct path to the title. It brings risk, but it would be accepted by anyone who wants to progress, especially because Hunter is not a particularly big world name and is smaller than Hrgovic.

According to the BoxRec rankings, Hunter is the seventh heavyweight in the world, and in front of him are big names like Joshua, Wilder, Povetkin, and Fury.

Hrgovic holds 20th place on the list of the best heavyweights in the world.

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November 10, 2020 - Croatian boxer Filip Hrgovic announces Zagreb fight in December if all goes to plan. 

The best Croatian heavyweight boxer Filip Hrgovic (28), who reached his 12th professional victory with a triumph against 39-year-old American Rydell Booker, announced on his return to Zagreb that he has the opportunity to fight again this year, but that a real breakthrough in the IBF challenger rankings is expected next year when he should fight someone from the top of the world in February or March.

"It is best to be at home; I am happy to be back," said Hrgovic in a good mood and thanked everyone for welcoming him at Zagreb Airport.

"The referee made a good decision to end the fight. Booker had no control and was behind in points. He might have endured another round, but that wouldn’t make sense; he’d get even more beatings. I think I played that fight very well, and I am the first to manage to ‘finish’ him. Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev, who has twice fought for the world title, won it by a referee's decision after ten rounds," Hrgovic said.

The next fight should be on December 19 in Zagreb, but that has not been confirmed yet. The location is unknown at this time.

"It will probably be without an audience; we just need a place for the ring and cameras."

After the victory against Booker, he named the boxers he wants to fight next.

"The ones I called out, I should fight against them in February or March. But an agreement needs to be made with them. It doesn't matter who it would be, but it is important that it is an opponent from the top of the world and that it resonates worldwide. If that fight goes well, I should be among the top five on the IBF challenger rankings. Also, then next year, I could have three or four fights," said Hrgovic and added:

"Our goal is to fight for the IBF title. I may fight for the title as early as next year or 2022. But it may never be. We will have to wait to see how things develop."

Source: HRT

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November 8, 2020 - Great news for the Croatian boxing world, as Filip Hrgovic books his 12th career victory!

Filip Hrgovic reached his 12th victory after defeating Rydell Booker with a technical knockout in Florida on Saturday evening. Booker entered the ring with 112.4 kilograms, 2.4 more than Hrgovic, but that couldn't help him much in the end. 

In the first round, Hrgovic proved just how much better he was, though he didn't fully show his dominance over the American boxer until the second round when the judge had to count Booker twice.

His domination continued in the third round, but Booker held his own and showed why no one ever beat him by knocking him down. The best Croatian boxer continued with relentless attacks, and the judge decided that it was enough only in the fifth round. Booker could no longer defend himself and received so many heavy blows that the judge decided to stop the fight for his health.

"Thanks to Booker for accepting the fight. He's a great warrior; he had a hard life. I had a good fight; a lot of tough plays, the referee made the right decision. I thought I would knock him out sooner, but I did a good job. Next, I want to fight the best in the division. Let's go, people, sign the contract, it's not that hard. I am impatient, I feel good, and I want a hard fight. Boxers mostly talk via Instagram and don’t want to fight El Animal. I need big names. Michael Hunter, Daniel Dubois, Povetkin, Dillian Whyte, Chisora, I want them all," Hrgovic said after the fight.

This was Hrgovic's 12th fight in his career and 12th win.

Hrgovic was weighed in on Friday before the fight with 110 kilograms, 2.4 kilograms less than his opponent.

"I didn't come here to be Booker's friend; I intend to finish him. You'll see a great fight tomorrow before the knockout because I need to box him. I'm not just going to knock him out; I'm going to show my boxing skills," he said before the fight.

Source: Index.hr

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