Filip Hrgovic STILL Looking For An Opponent; Might Joe Joyce Be The Man?

By James Slater - 01/21/2022 - Comments

This really is becoming a joke now. One big, messy joke. Filip Hrgovic, after failing to find a dance partner for an IBF final eliminator, looked to have finally found his man in former Olympic rival Tony Yoka. The Hrgovic-Yoka fight was set, or so we thought. Now, Martin Bakole, with the support of the IBF, has put in an official complaint to stop the Yoka-Hrgovic fight from going ahead; this because Bakole has a deal in place to fight Yoka (Bakole was to have fought Yoka in Paris, France in January but Covid restrictions forced the fight to be delayed.) And now Yoka-Bakole is apparently back on.

Yoka Vs. Bakole is not a bad fight, it is in fact an interesting match-up and fans will tune in. But what about Hrgovic and his IBF final eliminator? Well, the unbeaten Croatian must once again go down the IBF rankings (Luis Ortiz and Joseph Parker have already says thanks but no thanks to the fight with Hrgovic) – and this will bring him to unbeaten contender Joe Joyce. But will “The Juggernaut” pull up and be accommodating?

Joyce, last seen beating Carlos Takam last summer, is still recovering from a wrist injury, and he recently put out a message that said he aims to be “back punching in April.” Maybe, indeed hopefully in the case of Hrgovic (who must be beyond, beyond frustrated by now), this fight can and will take place in April. Joyce is not the kind of guy to turn down a big opportunity such as this, and Hrgovic is probably ready to fight absolutely anybody right now. But Joyce is ranked at #1 with the WBO and the 36 year old may look to go down that route as he chases a world title shot.

Still, Hrgovic, 14-0(12) Vs. Joyce, 13-0(12) is a darn good match-up in the making. Maybe. If this one doesn’t fail to materialise, Hrgovic and his team will have to begin looking down those IBF rankings for what must seem like the umpteenth time! Even if you are not a fan of Hrgovic, it’s tough not to feel some serious sympathy for him.