Hunter has the advantage in pro experience. I think it will be close fight, but Hrgovic will break him down and maybe stop him in the late rounds.
Good fight between two fighters i rate. Could go either way but I am leaning towards a Hunter win. Hrgovic has a good jab, a good combination puncher and has decent power. However he does stand too upright and leaves his chin out and exposed too often at times. There's questions about his chin; being dropped by JOyce in the WBS and Molina hurt him temporary with a good shot. Hunter has good foot work, good at judging the distance with his timing and anticipation. Fights with a real dogged aggression and elentless pressure. As we saw against Povetkin and Bakole he has good chin too.
Hrgovic's defense is suspect. He tends to carry his head high and his jaw exposed. It is very possible Hrgovic gets cracked in this one. Hunter is a big step up from the guys Hrgovic has been beating on. Mendoza says Hrgovic shows good defense in the gym. He better use that defense in this fight. This should be a good fight. We will come out of this fight knowing what level Hrgovic is really at.
Hrgovic has shared the ring with Wlad ( pre Fury fight ) Haye ( and beat on him / cut him bad ) and Wilder, all when he was a young man. Hunter has fought better competition as a pro ( Hrgovic far better as an amateur and in the world series of boxing ) but Hunter is not going to measure up here or be competitive. Usyk won easy over Hunter 117-110 ( all three cards ) and Usyk isn't a puncher, nor does he have Hrgovic's height or reach. Hunter had enough to draw with a 40 year old Povetkin. So okay you can say he's competitive vs 40 year old and not competitive with Usky, both close to his size. He'll be out of business vs a skilled super heavyweight with power, relegated to covering up and trying to counter.
He showed good defense vs. Booker making him miss a few times. Hrgovic has a solid guard and quick step back. If he wants to be defensive he can. He'd rather press his man and mix in body shots, meaning once in a while he can be tagged. So what, he's landing more and doing more damage. He has shown the counter hook in the gym. He's got what looks to be a 19-20 inch neck and a huge head. The type that takes a good punch. I don't think Hunter's power will bother him at all. Hrgovic has never been down or hurt as a amateur or pro. He has a A chin, and you think Hunter has a chance to cracks it? Highly unlikely. Hrgovic doesn't get hit often, how you can you conclude a suspect defense? I don't think Hunter is better than the guys Hrgovic has bettered in the gym, he might have a better record than some of the active ones, but he's too small land doesn't hit hard enough. Hunter reached his potential as bottom level top ten heavyweight. It will be a good win, but I'm almost sure after three rounds Hunter will be out punched and out landed. He'll crawl into his shell not doing enough to give himself a chance to win and will eventually be knocked out or lost via wide decision May it happen, the winer can be the #1 IBF mandatory.
I'm not going to argue with you Mendoza. I respect your opinions but I see what I see in his pro fights. If he beats Hunter, I will be the first to admit I had it wrong and I'll get on the bandwagon.
Fair enough. I have no idea how you are drawing these conclusions. Hrgovic has won all but maybe one round in his career and the defensive stuff comes from a few seconds in a fight, not the duration of it. As stated he's savaging guys in the Miami gym near me. There are many forms of defense. Height has its own built in defense. Footworks and fast feet can make a fighter hard to hit. A long jab to prevent the other guy from getting is is a form of defense. A high guard is a form of defense. Head movement, a rarity at heavyweight is a form of defense. Clinching can be a form of defense too. Hrgovic has 4 of 5 here and has never needed to clinch. There are some large heavyweights There are some legitimate punchers who are heavyweights There are some skilled heavyweights There are some heavyweights who can take punch. There are some heavyweights with the work ethic that is needed to stay in shape But there are very few that have all of the above. Hrgovic is one of them. The band wagon will fill up quickly if this fight happens. I think Hunter sort of has to take it. He's had his chances and instal getting any younger.
Good fight if this happens. I rate Hunter I was one of the few on here who picked him over Bakole. But having said that Hrgovic isn't Bakole, this is a much tougher fight for Hunter, I'd have to favour Hrgovic. Hunter is more an out boxer than an in boxer and that suits the bigger, taller, longer Hrgovic. I'm sure Hunter will give it his all but I suspect this is a bridge too far.
I was big on Hrgovic before that, but that fight just left me shocked. Just how easy it was to land that right was ridiculous, the better fighters should take him out unless he has literal granite in his chin
