If the Fury fight doesn’t come though, would this be a good fight? I feel like Hrgovic would be an easier style matchup for AJ than someone like Dubois.
Joshua is too washed at this point to beat Hrgovic. Would've always been a tough match up for him but now he'd be cooked.
AJ now obviously Filip shouldn't have much issue... AJs chin looks good and well done. Prime for prime, everyone will favor Filip now with ease but I think AJ could have had a decent chance at winning a decision. Obviously Filips durability and sustained presense every round is an issue for AJ, but I do think theres aspects to Filip that play into AJs strengths as well.
Prime for prime? AJ wins pretty similar to the Joseph Parker fight Hrgovic is about Joseph Parker level, give Parker a bit better chin and a lot less speed and you have filip Hrgovic Easy enough for a prime AJ to outbox for 12
He’s a world champion AJ would take that fight in a heartbeat if the Fury fight falls through, nobody can question how game AJ is for all his faults.
After holding up the division so long AJ or Fury shouldn't be getting title shots unless they beat multiple serious contenders. This would have been a great fight a few years ago when AJ was fighting Franklin and Helenius. I think even by the time of the Dubois loss Hrgovic would have won a 8-4,9-3 sort of fight. If AJ gets that now it would only be via very biased judging. Hrgovic is an easier matchup for AJ than Dubois. So was Usyk. That doesn't mean AJ would win. Hrgovic is more dangerous then people give him credit for. No one would accuse him of having the heaviest shots in the division but I think he's got significantly more power than a Usyk or Parker.
AJ's chin is compressed talcum at the moment. He's washed up. He'll get in the ring, flex his muscles and look menacing. He might even look good for a bit. But the first solid punch Hrgovic lands ... poof ... AJ's chin explodes in a puff of smoke.
I dont think aj can keep up with the top 10 anymore In those fights against Prenga and DDD he had a combined 7 knockdowns in just the first few rounds
Another measure of usyk's decline is how he proclaimed Joshua to become a World Champion in 2027. Or maybe his popularity allows for some crazy easy way to a title. We'll see.
Now I'm going with a stoppage win for Hrgovic. I don't think AJ can compete with the best in the category anymore (and if the Fury fight happens, as I think it will, he'll lose badly in my opinion). On the other hand, if we're talking about the best AJ I'd have seen him win by decision against the best Hrgovic. The Croatian is very solid but he's never been fast or difficult to hit, as the fight against Zhang clearly demonstrated. And Joshua was much faster than Zhang.