IBF heavyweight champion Filip Hrgovic is not mincing words, flat out picking Tyson Fury to dismantle Anthony Joshua in their colossal British heavyweight showdown set for December 11. Hrgovic told “The Ariel Helwani Show” from Uncrowned that he believes Fury wins, pointing directly at Joshua’s last performance as the reason why.
Joshua’s Last Outing Was a ‘Disaster’
Hrgovic pulled no punches when dissecting Joshua’s recent showing. “You saw that [Joshua] was fighting a journeyman and he went down in 10 seconds from such a soft punch. It was crazy. I couldn’t believe what I saw. I think he’s done.” Hrgovic doubled down, stating, “He shouldn’t be fighting anymore.” He acknowledged Joshua is likely chasing “a huge amount of money” for one more fight, but stressed his belief that Joshua should step away from the sport. Hrgovic even admitted to feeling sorry for Joshua after watching the fight. He pointed out Joshua’s extreme efforts leading up to that bout, including shutting down businesses to focus, changing his coach for the “20th time,” and working with Oleksandr Usyk’s team. Yet, despite all that, he “comes to the fight with a journeyman and he goes down in 10 seconds.”
Joshua, who is 37 years old, was indeed floored twice by Kristian Prenga back in July. He did, however, recover to knock Prenga out in a two-round slugfest in Riyadh. But the IBF champ’s take hits hard, especially considering Joshua hasn’t beaten a heavyweight contender at the world level in nearly three years. Since his fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024, AJ has only stepped into the ring twice: against Jake Paul last December and then Prenga this summer. Hrgovic’s brutal assessment also comes with the knowledge that Joshua has been battling injuries and the heavy emotional and physical toll of a devastating car crash that claimed the lives of two of his closest friends. Hrgovic emphasized, “It’s a dangerous sport. It’s a war. And I think you come to a point where you can’t fight anymore. You can’t mess around with boxing.”
“Fake Champions” and a ‘Big Robbery’
Hrgovic, boasting a solid 21-1 record with 16 KOs, didn’t stop at just Joshua. He tossed shade across the entire heavyweight division, labeling the other three titleholders , Daniel Dubois (WBO), Agit Kabayel (WBC), and Murat Gassiev (WBA) , as “fake champions.” Hrgovic didn’t hold back, explaining, “Dubois is a fake champion because he beat fake champion, Fabio Wardley.” He then went on to call Wardley’s win against Joseph Parker a “big robbery,” claiming Wardley was losing that fight. If you beat a “fake champion,” Hrgovic argues, “you’re a fake champion as well.” For the record, Dubois did rise off the canvas to stop Wardley in Round 11 of what was considered a Fight of the Year contender back in May, securing the WBO heavyweight belt.
As for the others, Hrgovic was equally dismissive. “Agit Kabayel received his belt without fighting. I also think he’s a fake champion. And this Murat Gassiev is also a fake champion. He beat nobody and received his belt without fighting.” It’s clear Hrgovic sees himself as the true king of the division. Whatever goes down on December 11 between Joshua and Fury, which could crown a WBA (Super) heavyweight champion, Hrgovic doesn’t expect either man, whom he believes are “past their primes,” to be looking his way for a unification bout.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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