IBF heavyweight belt likely for Hrgovic vs. Dubois

FILIP HRGOVIC expects to face Daniel Dubois for the vacant IBF heavyweight title on June 1 – with a Wembley superfight against Anthony Joshua also awaiting the winner.

Hrgovic is part of Team Matchroom for the 5 vs 5 event against Queensberry, with Frank Warren’s heavyweight hope Dubois the man selected to face the Croatian.

The showdown will take place a fortnight after Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk collide to decide the undisputed heavyweight champion in Riyadh on May 18. However, the IBF are expected to strip the winner of their title almost immediately.

It had been suggested that Joshua would fight for the vacant title but Hrgovic understands that the belt will actually be on the line when he faces Dubois.

“The plan is for the vacant IBF title to be on the line against Dubois,” Hrgovic said.

“It should be me against Dubois for the vacant IBF belt. Then the winner should fight Joshua but you never know in boxing. I think if Fury wins, he will do everything to fight Joshua next, he won’t want to fight Usyk again.”

The shows on May 18 and then June 1 are the latest mega events in the Saudi Arabian boxing revolution but Turki Al-Alshikh, the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in the Kingdom, recently revealed that they are planning to stage a show at Wembley in September as a ‘commercial’ for Riyadh Season.

And Hrgovic believes that either he or Dubois against Joshua could headline under the arch at the national stadium.

“If Usyk beats Fury then they will go for a rematch so the winner of me and Dubois will fight Joshua instead,” he added. “That’s my opinion.

“Joshua is the dream fight and I hope I will beat Dubois and then fight him in Wembley in September. That would be perfect.”

Dubois, meanwhile, does not mind whether or not there is a belt up for grabs when he faces Hrgovic but is also certain that victory will set up a colossal domestic clash with Joshua.

He said: “Whether our fight is for the world title or not, he holds that position with the IBF and I want to take it. So it’s an important fight.

“The winner of me and Hrgovic fighting AJ next makes business sense, that is the business. Me and AJ would be two London boys fighting for the world title, that would be mad.

“But that’s for my team to deal with, I am just training in the gym. But it would be a huge moment for me, a world title in London, huge.”