Filip Hrgovic was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in 2024 but the Croatian has now revealed that he was injured prior to that fight.
Daniel Dubois halted Filip Hrgovic in 2024 in a victory that ultimately crowned him as a world champion. Now, the Croatian heavyweight has revealed that he was injured ahead of that bout and that a rematch could soon take place.
Hrgovic and Dubois collided for the IBF interim world title in June 2024 and it was ‘El Animal’ who started strongest, consistently peppering the Brit with straight shots.
However, Dubois hung in there and eventually turned the contest around to claim an upset win via eighth-round stoppage and hand Hrgovic a first career defeat.
During the aftermath, Dubois was upgraded to full IBF heavyweight world champion and secured lucrative showdowns with both Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk, whilst Hrgovic had to rebuild.
Now, on his Instagram account, Hrgovic has revealed that he was both sick and injured prior to that contest and named Dubois as a potential next opponent when unveiling his options for his first outing of 2026.
“I hope to be in the ring soon; there are a few very good options.
“The best option for me would be to face Fabio Wardley for the WBO belt and I hope that happens next but he has got a voluntary defence so we will see who he is going to choose.
“Also, I would like to face Agit Kabayel in Germany. It would be a great fight, a big fight. He has got a big following here [in Germany] and there are a lot of Croatians in Germany so it would be a great fight.
“There is also an option to face Daniel Dubois in a rematch. Everyone knows that I was sick and injured for that fight, so I wasn’t at my best level. So, I would welcome that fight, as well.”
Whilst Hrgovic hopes to challenge Wardley for the WBO crown, the Ipswich fan-favourite has expressed his interest in a clash with Tyson Fury, who announced his comeback last week.
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