.jpg)
21 hours ago
1
Joe Joyce (16-3, 15 KOs) and Filip Hrgovic (17-1, 14 KOs) came face to face today ahead of Saturday's 'Heavy Impact' card that will take place on April 5 at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England, broadcast live on DAZN.
Former #1 contenders Joe Joyce and Filip Hrgovic headline the Queensberry Promotions event, which also features a British heavyweight title fight between David Adeleye and Jeamie TKV on the undercard.
Former WBO Interim champion Joe Joyce is full of confidence despite only winning one from his last four fights.
The Londoner, known as 'The Juggernaut', was on top of the world, patiently awaiting a world title shot as the WBO #1, until Chinese power, Zhilei Zhang, brought it all crashing down with two consecutive knockouts in 2023.
Then, in his last fight, he was dropped and decisioned by veteran Derek Chisora, which laid bare how far he has fallen.
His fight with Hrgovic really is the last chance saloon for the Londoner, who told the press that he is excited and confident, knowing that he holds a win over the Croatian already.
These two heavyweights met over 12 years ago in the World Series Boxing, which saw Joyce's hand raised after five competitive rounds.
He claimed that it will be a repeat result on Saturday night, "It is a great fight, entertainment, and I expect a great performance. It is good to share the ring with Hrgovic again, we had a good scrap last time about 12 years ago.
"The same result is going to happen, I’m going to win and then get elevated back up to the top of the sport. I am really excited to be here again, there is a lot of excitement here and it is going to be a great night of boxing.
"I know exactly what to expect from him. He’s got a lot of mileage and has been in the sport a long time and had a lot of hard fights. I look forward to knocking him out on Saturday night."
Former IBF #1 Filip Hrgovic is seven years Joyce's junior at 32, and is still ranked IBF #6, WBA #7 and WBC #9.
He lost his last fight to Daniel Dubois, stopped in the eighth round on cuts to both eyes, but still has plenty left to give in the sport and hasn't fallen too far from the top at this stage. However, a successive loss could spell trouble for the Croatian's ambitions on Saturday night.
"Are we still main event after this? It was short notice, a few weeks, but I was already in good shape. That is why I accepted this fight and I think this is a good opportunity for me."
Originally Joyce was scheduled to fight fellow Londoner, Dillian Whyte, until he withdrew with a hand injury.
Hrgovic continued to say, "This win, hopefully on Saturday, brings me back to the top and it is good to be part of this.
"Thanks to Queensberry and DAZN and I am looking forward to the win on Saturday, to knock him out and get back to the top. That is the plan. My motivation is big, for sure. I want to be back at the top and, like Frank said, the loser will be in a very bad position. I don’t want to lose.
"Man, he is 40 years old. Look, he is definitely not in the peak of his career, fighters get older and that is the reality, I am seven years younger. I think it will play a role in this fight."
Promoter Frank Warren added, "Saturday is a new era for us, we are on DAZN and we will be seen worldwide, which is a great, great showcase for all the fighters. We are competitive, like the boxers and certainly like the rest of the promoters on DAZN, we aim to be the best and put the best shows on and our start is a fabulous one.
"The main event between Joe and Filip is a cracker of a fight, it is a fight with jeopardy involved where the winner will go on and the loser will have a hard, hard task to get back into the mix at the top. We all know what is on the line and they know that better than anybody else in this room. So I am looking forward to a great fight and a fabulous, fabulous undercard."
English (US)