Egis Klimas, who happens to be Oleksandr Usyk’s manager, has revealed that a fight with Filip Hrgovic will occur next if the undisputed bout with Tyson Fury fails.

Usyk defended his unified heavyweight titles against Daniel Dubois with a ninth-round-stoppage. But in the process of doing so, Usyk had to overcome some adversity as he hit the deck in the fifth round, although it was called a low blow.

In the aftermath, Usyk made it clear that he was ready to face Fury. But if that does not happen, then the IBF has already confirmed that Hrgovic is next in line for a title shot.

Usyk Vs. Hrgovic

With that being said, Klimas was ready to face the Croatian if that was the outcome.

"Hrgovic is the mandatory but if we’re going to get the unification [against Fury] we’re going to go for the unification. If the unification is not done of course Hrgovic will be next," Klimas

Nevertheless, the low-blow controversy has continued to dominate in the aftermath. Frank Warren has confirmed that there will be an appeal being made by Dubois’ side in an attempt to overturn the Usyk result into a no-contest.

That is the last thing that Usyk’s side will want to hear, given that the Ukrainian was adamant that it was a low blow.

"For me, 100%, if the referee started to count, I would have definitely jumped up. I would be on my feet. It would be hard for me to recuperate and come back to my normal state, but there is no doubt that I would be up. I Would Have Jumped Up If Referee Gave Count.

"You are not allowed to hit a man in [that area]. Listen, boxing it’s a sport for gentlemen, it’s not a street fight. It’s boxing. How can I be guilty in wearing shorts?. The low blow comes not from wearing shorts like this but the low blow itself. I’m ready to fight without shorts," Usyk

Warren Responds

But since it has happened in that regard, Warren was not going to hold back on anything when it came to getting the Usyk decision overturned which he felt was valid.

"The situation is that we will be lobbying the WBA to declare this as a no-contest. The knockdown which the referee said was below the belt… the punch actually landed on the waistband of his shorts," Warren said.

"The criteria, as is explained at the rules meeting, waist is the mid-point of your hips. So it’s much lower. That was a legitimate blow and (the fight) should’ve been stopped. He got three minutes and 46 seconds recovery time, which was wrong. He got it wrong the referee and I still don’t understand, if it was a low blow, why he didn’t take any points off him.

"I don’t think (the referee’s) crooked, I think he just got it totally wrong. As a result, it should be declared a no contest in the worst case, or a rematch ordered," Warren

Froch And Bellew On Usyk

This naturally begs the question. What can be the consequences? Well, if the decision does get overturned, then a rematch will be sought.

That is the last thing that the heavyweight division needs. After all, fans have been waiting for an undisputed fight since 1999.

The last time that this happened was all the way back when Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield to achieve such a feat. And given that the Fury-Usyk fight is the biggest in the division, another delay will only frustrate fans.

In addition, it would take a very brave person to overturn the decision of the referee. Given that the low blow has divided the boxing community, it is clear that there is not a unanimous consensus on this.

After all, even Carl Froch had gone against the grain to state that it was a low blow. This was in addition to Tony Bellew’s comments too.

"Anything below the naval is classed as low in boxing! That’s not my opinion that’s a FACT! That’s the rules! Your shorts shouldn’t cover your naval cos if they do the belt can be hit! This picture says a thousand words! Spew it once and you’ll spew it again is also another fact," Bellew

"In a word, was it a low blow? The answer to that is yes. It was a low blow. Under the Queensbury rules, if a punch lands on the belt or the box area, it’s considered a foul—an unintentional foul. Below the navel, it’s a low blow," Froch said