Now that Michael Hunter is reportedly out as far as an IBF final eliminator with unbeaten heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic goes, Hrgovic needs a new opponent and he needs one pretty fast. Not wanting to hang around, the hugely talented 28 year old from Croatia who holds a 12-0(10) pro record is gunning for a shot at the world title – he says he thinks Anthony Joshua will beat Tyson Fury when (if?) the two rival champions collide.
Hrgovic wants to become the IBF mandatory and he was confident he would have done so with a win over Hunter. Now needing a new foe, Hrgovic might have one in former WBO heavyweight champ Joseph Parker. Parker’s manager Dave Higgins spoke with Sky Sports, and he said Parker, 29-2(21) would certainly “consider” a fight with Hrgovic.
“It depends what the offer is,” Higgins told Sky Sports. “It’s [a fight with Hrgovic] something that we as a team would have to discuss and weigh up the risks and returns. Obviously, Joseph is ranked quite highly in three of the four credible sanctioning bodies. He doesn’t need to rush into the wrong fight with any one of them, but if someone is to make contact and make an offer, it will always be considered. He [Parker] would genuinely face anyone, anywhere, if it’s the right opportunity and the right time.”
If a Hrgovic-Parker fight did happen, it would rank as the toughest fight yet for Hrgovic. Parker as we know has been in with plenty of top names, including Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz, Dillian Whyte and last time out, Dereck Chisora. Could Hrgovic become the first man to stop the New Zealander? Or might 29 year old Parker take this risky fight and get the win that would see him smack bang in line for another shot at the world title?
Parker-Hrgovic (who would be the A-Side?) is a great match-up and it seems to make sense for both men. Who wins? This one would have to be looked at as pretty much a 50-50 affair.