Less than a month after the "Natural Born Thriller" event at London's O2 Arena, where Filip Hrgovic won the IBF world heavyweight title by defeating Moses Itauma by technical knockout in the ninth round, Hrgovic has withdrawn from public view.
Following the fight, press conferences and media interviews, Hrgovic spoke to TalkSport, discussing the event with hosts Simon Jordan and Jim White. He explained that he went directly on holiday with his wife and daughter to Spain after the fight, where he spent the first two weeks post-fight.
He noted he did not have a large "welcome party" because, as he said, he had not seen his family for three months and is not the type for big parties and celebrations. Hrgovic, who is 34 years old, stated that he has recovered physically and psychologically and wants to unify the belts and stay at the top for as long as possible. The only option currently on his mind, he said, is belt unification.
Hrgovic believes he defeated the toughest opponent in the division, the most talented, the fastest, a southpaw. He claimed that fights against Agit Kabayel or Daniel Dubois would have been easier than the fight with Itauma because, as he explained, Dubois and Kabayel are not as fast and do not box from a southpaw stance. He added that Dubois and Kabayel might be slightly more experienced and that a fight with either would be tough, but he believes he could handle them more easily than Itauma.
In accordance with his contractual obligation, Hrgovic's next fight should be against Frank Sanchez. Sanchez was the number one contender for the IBF title before the Hrgovic-Itauma fight, but he stepped aside with a substantial financial payout and received a guarantee that he would fight the winner.
Frank Warren, head of Queensberry Promotions, stated in an interview with iFL TV last week that Hrgovic should box against Sanchez and that this is Sanchez's contractual obligation.
