Filip Hrgovic Ready For U.S. Debut Against Corbin tonight

EXCLUSIVE – Filip Hrgović: “Boxing is my religion

Often, the little-known contenders amongst boxing’s most enthralling division spring surprises that derail the journeys of its commercial juggernauts. Muhammad Ali shattered the brutal, heartless facade of Sonny Liston; Buster Douglas shocked the world when stopping an untouchable Mike Tyson; whilst Hasim Rahman hit the jackpot, defeating an outstanding champion in Lennox Lewis. It happens.

As the sun sets in the Croatian capital of Zagreb, the piercing, predatory eyes of heavyweight prospect Filip Hrgovic (7-0, 5KOs)seemingly narrow. The expectation from Eastern Europe is heavyset, with the Olympic bronze medalist aware he shoulders the hopes of a nation. With tourist havens such as Hvjar and Dubrovnik, it was easy to forget the gritty upbringing of those suburban families living amongst Croatia’s less picturesque surroundings.

Hrgovic was one of five children, who’d grown to score points in non-contact sports before lacing up his gloves. His siblings had dipped in and out of boxing, whilst his father wasn’t keen – a welcome change in narrative.

“I grew up in Zagreb. My childhood was very ordinary. I remember most that as a young boy I trained basketball, that was the whole world to me and I wanted to become an NBA player. Later, at age 13, I decided to start boxing, and since then I have had dreams of becoming a world champion in boxing.”

“It is a big family, seven of us: my parents, two brothers and two sisters”, he continued, “My family gives me maximum support, but it is hard for them to watch, especially for my mother and sisters. They helped a lot with logistics during my amateur career so, without them I wouldn’t have succeeded.

“My younger brother also trained boxing and with only six months of training, he won the bronze medal in the cadets European Championship. A huge talent but because of health problems he had to stop. My younger sister also trained in boxing and she was the Croatian champion. My mother trained handball all her life, but my father was not a sports guy, and I can’t say that we’re a big sports family.”

An elite amateur, Hrgovic had taken the leap from winning the ‘World Series of Boxing’, signing professional papers and debuting in September 2017 following the disappointment of his Olympic campaign the preceding summer. Now only twenty-six and the owner of a reported 74-15 amateur record, he is looking to stamp his authority on the heavyweight division, sooner rather than later.

He’d already knocked out fringe, world-level fighter, Amir Mansour, before most recently dominating the durable Kevin Johnson over eight rounds. Hrgovic, standing at 6’6, was preparing to take his next step, but I’d been keen to understand the mechanics of his transition as he’d reached the number eight ranking in the WBA and number twelve ranking with the IBF.

After securing a gold medal in the AIBA Youth World Championships (2010), he equalled that achievement at the European Championships in Samokov (2015). When sealing that initial podium position in Baku almost nine years ago, he defeated Frenchman Tony Yoka who would later become his conqueror in South America.

Filip had introduced himself to the wider boxing public, but would suffer a painful defeat in Rio as the two met in the semi-finals. Both men then decided to turn professional, Hrgovic with Team Sauerland and Yoka with Richard Schaefer’s Ringstar Promotions. The prospect of the pair facing off in the years to follow seemed inevitable, in a thrilling European grudge match.

Hrgovic told me, “I think the main difference is that professional boxing carries a business side with it, so boxers should be businessmen – smart and tactical. In the amateurs, it’s about fighting in tournaments and training hard. I think professional boxing is a much higher level, and it all comes down to how popular you are and how many tickets you sell.”

“In 2019, I expect a minimum of three matches maybe four. My promoter, Team Sauerland, has signed an agreement with Eddie Hearn and DAZN. So I plan to have three fights by October and then perhaps even a fourth at the end of the year if there’s time and strength. So, my goal is to win my fights and achieve the best possible ranking.

“It’s great for my career because my fans can now watch me in USA on DAZN and Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. These are two of the biggest boxing markets so surely my popularity will increase and I’m looking forward to keeping busy and improving my record.”

With Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom USA and streaming partner DAZN hosting shows across the United States, it appears Hrgovic is in the perfect position to capitalise on the sport’s growth. They have also signed American heavyweights Jarrell Miller and Michael Hunter, as well as former undisputed cruiserweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk, who is now campaigning for titles in the glamour division to replicate his achievements at the weight below. Realistically, the Croatian knockout artist would be expected to reach the top of the division alongside the next wave of contenders with names like; Yoka, Daniel Dubois and Efe Ajagba. Hrgovic was hungry now, but knew his place in the pecking order.

The confidence displayed by ‘El Animal’ isn’t completely unfounded. Only this week, former unified world champion Wladimir Klitschko was quoted as stating Filip would become a heavyweight world champion. It wasn’t his only experience at the top level. He had mixed it with the best, infamously sparring with David Haye ahead of the Bermondsey man’s proposed contest with Tyson Fury. Anyone who’d been looking forward to that all-British encounter, twice cancelled, could point the finger loosely at the Zagreb man for one of their shelved meetings.

“Yes, I went to David Haye’s boxing camp in 2013 when he was preparing for the fight with Tyson Fury, which in the end never happened. It is true I cut him in the sparring, it was the last round of the last sparring session, and I cut him with a right cross. Unfortunately, these things often happen in the boxing [ring]. Maybe it was his destiny not to fight Fury. He wasn’t angry; he said, ‘things happen for a reason’. After a few years, Tyson Fury becomes the world champion, so who knows what it would have been like today if I didn’t cut him!”

As Hrgovic awaits his next announcement, he was working hard with head trainer Pedro Diaz in Miami. The pair were approaching their first year together, with the former Cuban national coach building his stable impressively with fighters such as world champion, Ivan Baranchyk, and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Guillermo Rigondeaux, previously representing his Mundo Boxing gym.

Sparring and training with Tyrone Spong, he had a fellow world-ranked heavyweight to share the experience with. Spong had reached the top of the mixed martial arts world, as well as being one of the world’s greatest ever kickboxers, driving professionalism into his young stablemate. The pair both harbour the same dream, with one chasing the clock and the other looking to fulfil his potential.

Looking back on his rivalry with Olympic champion, Tony Yoka, his amateur career had also seen him defeat fellow heavyweight prospects Sergey Kuzmin and Joseph Parker. The division is experiencing a certain congestion, with promotional alliances potentially stifling some excellent tests. The studious Hrgovic was keen to push himself into contention, referring to the school of the nineties when looking at the heavyweight landscape. Evidently, the disappointment of Rio stayed with him as he looked to bury those memories, whilst sounding laser-focused on achieving for his Croatian people.

The situation and the atmosphere in the heavyweight division is phenomenal. The division has returned to its old glory. Next to the three top names [Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury], we have great boxers like Dillian Whyte, Joseph Parker, Oleksandr Usyk, Alexander Povetkin, Luis Ortiz and young prospects like me, Yoka, Joyce and many more.”

“Currently there is tremendous competition with ten or fifteen top fighters and I do not think that even in the ’90s there was such a [strong] concentration of good boxers in this category. I am looking forward to having many big fights in the future.”

Regardless of the three or four fights he was planning within his first year at DAZN, the goal never seemed to fluctuate. Filip didn’t skip a beat when discussing his ultimate aim – to become the best in the world. Those eyes that would cut through opponents, sharp and intimidating, remained forever focused as he continued working alongside his promoter, Nisse Sauerland, plotting the most effective way to crash the party.

Hrgovic seemed centred as he discussed the impact that boxing had on his life. Despite dedicating his time to family away from the gym, it was the grip of the sport that took precedent. It was everything. Other hobbies would come and go, just as basketball had during his childhood in Zagreb, but he was here for one thing. Being known as the best fighter on the planet seemed to be the only thing to satisfy him – anything else was classed as failure.

“Boxing is my life; it is a religion to me, 24 hours-a-day, everything is centred around it. I have never done anything except boxing, so I don’t know what I would do instead. I gave my life for boxing, and hard work pays off.

“My goal in the amateurs was to become the best in the world, but I did not succeed. I was third at the Olympics, although all of them expected me to be first. For some strange reasons, a match in the semi-finals of the Olympics I did not do so well. I fought at less than 70% of my potential, and I was so disappointed. Now I see that has happened for a reason and that’s why I have even more motivation to be the best in the world as a professional.”

 

242 is a career highest weight by 9lbs for Hrgovic

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Sounds like Hrgovic has performed very well in sparring against the top dogs or higher ranked and more established names

Hearn on Hrgovic

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Herr Nisse on Hrgovic (somebody needs to photoshop Nisse's head onto a SS officer in full uniform because he's really got that evil German villain type face and look about him even though he seems like a nice chap lol)

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Hrgovic on Hrgovic

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Gregory Corbin discusses facing Filip Hrgovic, sparring with Anthony Joshua


Gregory Corbin (15-1, nine KOs) will take on up-and-coming Croatian star Filip Hrgovic (7-0, five KOs) on the undercard of Devin Haney vs Antonio Moran on Saturday, May 25, live and exclusively on DAZN, at the MGM National Harbor Theater in Oxon Hill, Md. Sporting News caught up with the 38-year-old heavyweight from West Dallas, Texas, after a training session at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, England.

SPORTING NEWS: How would you describe your fighting style?

GREGORY CORBIN: Whatever it takes to win, that’s the only way I can describe it. Some people love it, some people dislike it, but, hey, as long as we get the “W,” that’s all that matters. I’m an adaptive fighter meaning that If I see something and I can make changes during the fight, that’s what I do. That being said, I’m just open to whatever comes.

SN: What do you know about your opponent, Filip Hrgovic?

GC: I really don’t know too much about him. I started watching him when his name came across my desk. I know he’s an Olympian, he’s 7-0 and they’re promoting him well. It’s his first fight in America and they’ve picked me. I’m honored and I’m up for the challenge.

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SN: Will your age and ring experience be an advantage in this fight?

GC: The only thing that will give me an advantage going into this fight is my training. You can have all the experience in the world, but it can only take you so far if you’re not well-prepared for the fight. There are some tricks that you have to have so you can out-slick a young fighter and if I can pull them out, I will. When you go into war you must bring everything, you don’t want to leave any bullets in the gun, you want to leave it all in the ring. I’m excited for May 25.

MORE: Hrgovic says it’s an ‘honor’ to be fighting in U.S.

SN: You have been sparring with Anthony Joshua ahead of his American debut on June 1 at Madison Square Garden. What’s it like to train with a fighter like him?

GC: It’s an honor, man, being in camp with AJ. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned a lot about him that I can take home and implement in my own training, like discipline, composure and stuff like that. Certain movements and timing. Everybody has their own style, but it’s always good to wake up every day and learn something new and grow, so that’s what I try to do, keep growing, and over here I’ve grown a lot. I’ve been in camp with damn near everybody you could name, but it’s always good to train and this is some of the best.

MORE: Anthony Joshua discusses Miller, Ruiz, Wilder, Usyk

SN: You only have one loss on your record, against the former IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin when you fought March 16 at AT&T Stadium in Texas. You were disqualified for landing four low blows. What did you learn from that defeat?

GC: Well, there’s no excuses. The guy [Martin] came in and did a job and beat me. I could come up with a load of excuses saying this happened, that happened. If you’re not mentally ready, you’re not ready at all. I was ready up until the week before the fight, [and] then something happened that got me out of my zone, and he came in and he was still focused. A lack of focus pushes away your training. I learned a lot of things from that fight; the main thing is to stay focused on the task at hand because this is a serious and dangerous sport anything [and] can happen at any time. You never know when it’s your break and your time. I’m just fortunate that I’ve got another opportunity. I read the critics [and] a lot of people didn’t like the fight, but everyone has something to say whether you win or lose.

 

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