Hearn Says Several Steps Needed To Make Joshua-Hrgovic For March
Eddie Hearn has said there is still a long way to go before Anthony Joshua and Filip Hrgovic face each other in March.
Following Joshua’s win over Otto Wallin, the focus was on Hrgovic after Deontay Wilder lost to Joseph Parker. Wilder and Joshua’s two-fight deal no longer made sense since AJ focuses on becoming a three-time world champion. The aura surrounding a Wilder-Joshua fight has also died down. A fight with Hrgovic makes sense, given that it will likely be for the full IBF title.
Hrgovic is the current interim champion who is in a position to face the winner of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk. But their rematch clause means the winner will be stripped if they don’t fight the Croatian. That leaves Joshua as a leading candidate for that fight, especially since they are both with Matchroom Boxing.
But the turnaround time may not be ideal. Fury and Usyk face each other on February 17, 2024. Therefore, Joshua and Hrgovic fighting a month after that fight may not make sense due to the conflicting build-ups. Until the Fury-Usyk fight happens, there are still many unanswered questions.
Hearn On Joshua
“I think he’s gonna fight in March. Then I guess he fights in August, September, so whether it’s three times in the calendar year or three times from March to March, something like that. A lot has to happen by March to make that possible with Hrgovic. Obviously, [Fury and] Usyk fight in the middle of February.
“Are they gonna be able to keep the belt? Do they have to let it go? Is Joshua just gonna replace Wallin in the rankings? There’s a lot of discussions. If that’s in play for March, that’s definitely a possibility. Maybe that’s a fight that, when everything plays out, could be one for the summer. As I said, our conversations right now are about mapping out AJ’s next four or five fights … his 2024 and potentially the rest of his career,” Hearn said
Joshua’s Alternatives
Francis Ngannou has been mentioned as an alternative. The former UFC heavyweight champion earned a top-ten ranking in the WBC following his impressive performance on his boxing debut against Fury. Despite losing a split decision, he was praised for troubling Fury. He dropped Fury in the third round and continued to press the action on the front foot.
If the Hrgovic fight fails, Ngannou would be feasible, given how he did against Fury. The other alternative mentioned was Zhilei Zhang. He offers Joshua the chance to earn the WBO interim belt. But given that the IBF is in line to be called first, facing Zhang only makes sense if Joshua was keen on fighting in China in a global event.
Either way, Joshua has worked himself back into a good position, given Fury and Wilder’s poor performances of late. That leaves him with a good chance of becoming world champion again and the potential to fight for all the belts after Fury-Usyk.
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