Filip Hrgovic believes that, both stylistically and speed-wise, neither Daniel Dubois nor Agit Kabayel is his “toughest” heavyweight rival.
The Croatian became his nation’s first world heavyweight champion last month, causing a major upset by stopping Moses Itauma in round nine.
Not only was Itauma an almighty pre-fight favourite but, for the first eight rounds, he had built a sizable lead and was dominating their contest.
Then came a moment of pure drama when, despite seeming in full control – and having scored a second-round knockdown – the 21-year-old ran desperately short of gas and was suddenly there for the taking.
Capitalising on his opponent’s exhaustion, Hrgovic put the finishing touches on a stunning ninth-round stoppage and, in turn, prevented Itauma from becoming the youngest world heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson.
By claiming the IBF title, the 34-year-old has also positioned himself for a mandatory defence against Frank Sanchez, even if he would rather a unification match against Dubois or Kabayel.
Equally, Hrgovic has told talkSPORT that the respective WBC and IBF champions are unlikely to offer a greater test than Itauma.
“The only option on my mind now is to unify [the] division, because I think I beat the hardest guy in the division [Itauma].
I beat the most talented guy, the fastest guy – and, honestly, without any disrespect, I think fights against Kabayel and Dubois will be easier.
“They’re not so fast, they’re not southpaws … they’re maybe more experienced [than Itauma], and both will be tough fights, but I think I’ll handle them much easier than this kid [Itauma].”
While fully confident in defeating Dubois, Hrgovic did lose their 2024 encounter after getting stopped on cuts in round eight.
