Heavyweights Joe Joyce and Filip Hrgovic are set to lock horns this Saturday at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.
It is a change of opponent for Joyce, who took this fight on just three weeks’ notice after Dillian Whyte pulled out due to an unexpected hand injury in his training camp.
The Briton’s career never really seemed to take off after stopping the current IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois in 2020, coming into this fight having lost three of his last four outings.
The bout will see a deal between DAZN and Queensberry – which came into effect just two days ago – officially make the worldwide streaming platform the exclusive home of Frank Warren’s company’s elite boxing events.
Hrgovic will be looking to climb up the ranks to a second try for a title after coming up short to Daniel Dubois in their gruelling battle last summer.
The Croatian boasts an impressive record of 17 wins and one loss, with 14 of his victories coming via knockout.
Retirement could be on the cards for Joyce ‘The Juggernaut’, who turns 40 in September, meaning this bout is a must-win for the Olympic silver medallist to continue his career.
Fans can expect an all-out war as the Brit has said he will knock Hrgovic out, despite being called slower than ‘fog’ by his opponent at Manchester’s press conference this week.
The pair also have history together in the amateurs, with Joyce prevailing in a tight split decision win in their World Series of Boxing bout in 2013.
Alfie – the son of Coronation Street star Phil Middlemis – will be fighting Alexander Morales on the card.
Prediction:
MM believes that the first few rounds will be very explosive, as this fight is a lifeline for Joyce and a win away from a career-defining title shot for Hrgovic.
Ultimately, while Joyce will throw the kitchen sink at the Croatian and refuse to quit, the technical ability of Hrgovic and the punishment that Joyce has taken in his previous few fights will show in the later rounds of the fight, leading to his retirement from the sport.
Final prediction: Hrgovic win via Round 9 TKO
Featured image credit: Johann Walter Bantz
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