A fight is in the works between heavyweight contenders Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois for the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol on June 1st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Hrgovic’s co-trainer Ronnie Shields has confirmed that negotiations are underway for a clash against Dubois (20-2 19 KOs) for Beterbiev-Bivol.
It’s a risky fight for the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) because he’s the IBF mandatory for champion Oleksandr Usyk, and he’d be putting that on the line against the big-punching Dubois, who may be immune to his rabbit punches.
Dubois on the Rise
The 26-year-old Dubois is coming off an impressive 10th round TKO win over previously unbeaten Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller on ‘The Day of Reckoning’ card on December 23rd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is looking improved.
Hrgovic, 31, needs to get back in the ring. He hasn’t fought since December, when he knocked out 42-year-old Mark De Mori in the first round. You can’t even call that a true fight because it was a mismatch.
That fight was an odd bird the moment it was signed because de Mori had no business fighting a top-tier contender like Hrgovic, and it was surprising that the match was made in the first place.
Hrgovic’s Recent Form
Hrgovic’s last real fight was against Demsey McKean was last August, and he did not perform well against the Aussie. McKean, who is not a big puncher, had Hrgovic hurt and was working him over for much of the fight.
The tide of the bout changed in the 12th round, with Hrgovic nailing McKean with some well-placed rabbit punches that subdued him. It was not pretty to watch, but Hrgovic got the job done, thanks to the shots behind the head.
“Hrgovic will fight in June because he hasn’t fought since December, and then Maybe AJ fights him,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Charlie Parson’s YouTube channel.
You have to favor Dubois over Hrgovic because he’s the better talent, and the much younger fighter of the two. If Hrgovic can’t land his rabbit shots, he’s going to be in for a long night against Dubois because this guy is on another level than him.