Joseph Parker vs. Filip Hrgovic (TBC?)

[Enlightened-One]

During the aftermath of the latest Matchroom-Chisora event, Eddie Hearn claimed he likes the idea of staging a final eliminator between Joseph Parker and Filip Hrgovic, with both guys being the same age, which just seems weird to me.

There's no reason why this fight can't happen, considering both men are aligned with Eddie Hearn.

Thoughts?

[DrDuke]

Parker is obviously a more accomplished fighter, but I'm picking Hrgovic to win by dec simply relying on the eyetest and the styles. Parker almost never won convincingly enough at the higher level. Be it Ruiz and Takam or Hughie and Fa, he always struggles barely every time. Hrgovic seems to be a well-taught operator, who can use his range to outbox Parker from the outside, like Joshua did. Hrgovic is unproven, so I can easily be wrong, but I feel he can do it.

[joshj909]

If Parker puts the power in his punches that he did against Chisora, then he could pose a problem for Hrgovic. Parker usually fights to the level of his opponent, win or lose, it's usually not that conclusive. Even in his loss to AJ, despite being wide on the cards, there were many close rounds. Same could be said for a number of his best wins.

Either way, it would be a huge win for whoever comes out victorious when you consider the type of wins that everyone else in the division has.

[Enlightened-One]

Like I said before, it’s kind of weird that Filip Hrgović and Joseph Parker are the same age, but the Kiwi has been considered as one of the top-ten world-rated heavyweights for more than five years.

And if you review Parker’s top-ten opponents, it’s reasonable to claim that Joseph has been competing against vastly superior opposition than Hrgović has:

• Anthony Joshua
• Dillian Whyte
• Andy Ruiz Jr.
• Dereck Chisora (twice)
• Carlos Takam
• Hughie Fury
• Alexander Dimitrenko
• Junior Fa
• Kali Meehan
• Alexander Flores

It’s kind of obvious that Hrgović hasn’t faced anybody that’s as good as the aforementioned names. In fact, Filip's recent opposition is actually worse than the fighter he made his professional debut against. What on earth has he been doing for the last 4½ years?

Anyway, Joseph Parker has never suffered a heavy defeat. He was very competitive during his only losses against Joshua and Whyte.

And I get what people are saying, Hrgović does occasionally look impressive when we evaluate his pugilistic ability using only the proverbial eyeball test, but we shouldn’t ignore the context of his victories, since they all came against appallingly dire opposition.

In my mind, Filip Hrgović has been prematurely bestowed with an honorary rite of passage to being regarded as one of the best heavyweights on the planet by many self-proclaimed hard-core boxing aficionados, without them requiring the need for verification by seeing the Croatian face the very best available opposition.

But the thing is, we just don’t know how good Hrgović really is. His amateur pedigree seems decent, but not enough to justify the amount of hype he’s received.

Joseph Parker is a very durable fighter, quick hands, has an excellent engine and is fundamentally sound. He’s more than justified his status as a top-ten world-rated fighter, but I don’t think Hrgović has.

And I also wonder about the reason why the Sauerland’s and Eddie Hearn have done such a poor job of promoting Hrgović.

He just keeps competing against no-hopers, with all of his bouts staged in a different country every time he competes (resulting in him having no fans outside of Croatia).

Hrgović’s handlers haven’t demonstrated any confidence in his fighting ability, since they have flatly-refused to invest in decent fights.

So I suspect that Eddie Hearn is confident about Joseph Parker beating Filip Hrgović. And Matchroom can probably earn more money promoting Joe (since British fight fans really like the Kiwi).

And the quickest route to orchestrating a mandatory world title-shot for Joe is to beat the unproven Croatian.

So I personally feel that Filip Hrgović isn’t ready for Joseph Parker yet. I believe the Kiwi wins this one by decision.

[tiny_acres]

Like I said before, it’s kind of weird that Filip Hrgović and Joseph Parker are the same age, but the Kiwi has been considered as one of the top-ten world-rated heavyweights for more than five years.

And if you review Parker’s top-ten opponents, it’s reasonable to claim that Joseph has been competing against vastly superior opposition than Hrgović has:

• Anthony Joshua
• Dillian Whyte
• Andy Ruiz Jr.
• Dereck Chisora (twice)
• Carlos Takam
• Hughie Fury
• Alexander Dimitrenko
• Junior Fa
• Kali Meehan
• Alexander Flores

It’s kind of obvious that Hrgović hasn’t faced anybody that’s as good as the aforementioned names. In fact, Filip's recent opposition is actually worse than the fighter he made his professional debut against. What on earth has he been doing for the last 4½ years?

Anyway, Joseph Parker has never suffered a heavy defeat. He was very competitive during his only losses against Joshua and Whyte.

And I get what people are saying, Hrgović does occasionally look impressive when we evaluate his pugilistic ability using only the proverbial eyeball test, but we shouldn’t ignore the context of his victories, since they all came against appallingly dire opposition.

In my mind, Filip Hrgović has been prematurely bestowed with an honorary rite of passage to being regarded as one of the best heavyweights on the planet by many self-proclaimed hard-core boxing aficionados, without them requiring the need for verification by seeing the Croatian face the very best available opposition.

But the thing is, we just don’t know how good Hrgović really is. His amateur pedigree seems decent, but not enough to justify the amount of hype he’s received.

Joseph Parker is a very durable fighter, quick hands, has an excellent engine and is fundamentally sound. He’s more than justified his status as a top-ten world-rated fighter, but I don’t think Hrgović has.

And I also wonder about the reason why the Sauerland’s and Eddie Hearn have done such a poor job of promoting Hrgović.

He just keeps competing against no-hopers, with all of his bouts staged in a different country every time he competes (resulting in him having no fans outside of Croatia).

Hrgović’s handlers haven’t demonstrated any confidence in his fighting ability, since they have flatly-refused to invest in decent fights.

So I suspect that Eddie Hearn is confident about Joseph Parker beating Filip Hrgović. And Matchroom can probably earn more money promoting Joe (since British fight fans really like the Kiwi).

And the quickest route to orchestrating a mandatory world title-shot for Joe is to beat the unproven Croatian.

So I personally feel that Filip Hrgović isn’t ready for Joseph Parker yet. I believe the Kiwi wins this one by decision.

Very good assessment.
I think you are right on the money on this one

[ironbeard]

I don’t think Hrgovic deserves it. He should fight someone at least relatively proven at his own level, like Sanchez.

Joyce v Parker makes better sense.

[DrDuke]

I don’t think Hrgovic deserves it. He should fight someone at least relatively proven at his own level, like Sanchez.

Joyce v Parker makes better sense.

Btw, Parker back in the day wasn't a deserving title challenger.

[Enlightened-One]

I don’t think Hrgovic deserves it. He should fight someone at least relatively proven at his own level, like Sanchez.

Joyce v Parker makes better sense.

Btw, Parker back in the day wasn't a deserving title challenger.

To be fair, Parker did beat Carlos Takam and Alexander Dimitrenko before defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. to capture the vacant WBO world heavyweight title.

Hrgovic hasn’t defeated anyone better than three guys.

For the record, I’m not saying Hrgovic is rubbish, but I do feel he has a terrible resume.

And I really can’t imagine anyone believing otherwise.

[Ruthless-RKO]

I don’t think Hrgovic deserves it. He should fight someone at least relatively proven at his own level, like Sanchez.

Joyce v Parker makes better sense.

Btw, Parker back in the day wasn't a deserving title challenger.

To be fair, Parker did beat Carlos Takam and Alexander Dimitrenko before defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. to capture the vacant WBO world heavyweight title.

Hrgovic hasn’t defeated anyone better than three guys?

For the record, I’m not saying Hrgovic is rubbish, but I do feel he has a terrible resume.

And I really can’t imagine anyone believing otherwise.

and TBH, how many title challengers across all the weights are actually deserving? Not many.

[DrDuke]

Btw, Parker back in the day wasn't a deserving title challenger.

To be fair, Parker did beat Carlos Takam and Alexander Dimitrenko before defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. to capture the vacant WBO world heavyweight title.

Hrgovic hasn’t defeated anyone better than three guys?

For the record, I’m not saying Hrgovic is rubbish, but I do feel he has a terrible resume.

And I really can’t imagine anyone believing otherwise.

and TBH, how many title challengers across all the weights are actually deserving? Not many.

Yes. That's why Hrgovic should fight Parker. Two living bodies in the ring gotta be fun. There're too many mismatches after all.

[gregregegg]

Dont think this will happen. My guess is parker stays loyal to WBO.

[ironbeard]

To be fair, Parker did beat Carlos Takam and Alexander Dimitrenko before defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. to capture the vacant WBO world heavyweight title.

Hrgovic hasn’t defeated anyone better than three guys?

For the record, I’m not saying Hrgovic is rubbish, but I do feel he has a terrible resume.

And I really can’t imagine anyone believing otherwise.

and TBH, how many title challengers across all the weights are actually deserving? Not many.

Yes. That's why Hrgovic should fight Parker. Two living bodies in the ring gotta be fun. There're too many mismatches after all.

Frank Sanchez is a cadaver?

[KiwiRider]

I don’t think Hrgovic deserves it. He should fight someone at least relatively proven at his own level, like Sanchez.

Joyce v Parker makes better sense.

Agree but it probably won't happen.
Joyce is in the title holding pattern

[morm]

Better fight for Hrgovic as Zhang...
Parker say ones that Hrgovic has the best diffence ...he cant do nothing in his fight.
Hrgovic win this easy

[DrDuke]

and TBH, how many title challengers across all the weights are actually deserving? Not many.

Yes. That's why Hrgovic should fight Parker. Two living bodies in the ring gotta be fun. There're too many mismatches after all.

Frank Sanchez is a cadaver?

Sanchez is good, but what about him? He wasn't in the mix with these guys. Well, Parker's recent matchups are decent, but a bit earlier he was fighting the human punching bags. Hrgovic has been doing that thing almost always.

[ironbeard]

Yes. That's why Hrgovic should fight Parker. Two living bodies in the ring gotta be fun. There're too many mismatches after all.

Frank Sanchez is a cadaver?

Sanchez is good, but what about him? He wasn't in the mix with these guys. Well, Parker's recent matchups are decent, but a bit earlier he was fighting the human punching bags. Hrgovic has been doing that thing almost always.

Sanchez is not a punching bag.

[Lackeos]

It would be an okay final eliminator, since boxrec already ranks Parker #6, and a win over Hrgovic would just add to that. However, I personally would like to see Hrgovic get another decent win prior to moving into a final eliminator with Parker.

One reason I say that is because it could be a long time before contenders get title shots. If we get Usyk - Joshua 2 and Fury - Whyte in the short-term, then the next fight after that could be Usyk - Fury. And the fight after that could be Usyk - Fury 2. And after that... it could be 2.5 years from now. So, if we have 2.5 years to determine the next title challenger, then why not use that time to really book a mature final eliminator? In other words, maneuver Hrgovic into a more universally-accepted top 15 ranking, in which he beats someone like Rivas, Helenius, Kabayel, Wallin, or Bakole; and THEN book him in a final eliminator.

In terms of professional accomplishments and rankings, Parker is bringing everything to the table and Hrgovic is not bringing a lot. Their respective boxrec rankings are seriously #6 and #35. Hrgovic gotta beat someone real.

Also, I should point out, there are plenty of other people getting in line for the very few title shots that are available. Parker, Joyce, Hunter, Gassiev, and Yoka are some obvious names; not to mention Joshua, Wilder, Ruiz Jr., Hughie, Frank Sanchez, Kabayel, and Makhmudov. With so many people in line and such scarce supply of title shots anytime soon; they might as well start booking some more elaborate title eliminators (4-man eliminators, etc.).

[HomicideHenry]

This is the guy that you all are going so crazy about? Old Booker, chinny Molina, and old Johnson are the only fights that stand out. All these Eastern European heavyweights that he's knocking over he may as well be fighting taxicab drivers and tomato cans.

He boxes like a rock'em sock'em robot. Put him in there with someone like Robert Helenius and I think the bubble is going to burst. Someone his size or close enough who can take a punch and punch back--- or at least someone who is still all in their prime who can take a good shot and can fight back.

Until he actually beats someone who is respectable there's no use talking this guy up. That being said he's young and there's always room to improve and get better. But I have a feeling they're going to move this guy too fast.

[margaret thatcher]

i'd like to see it , we rag on hrg for not fightng anyone, so here it is. would defo be someone. very interresting fight.

[KiwiRider]

I don't see where the money is coming from?
Parker gets millions a fight.
Hrgovic is unknown to most, a real hard sell with no upside.
Sorry but I can't see it making any financial sense.

[skanksta]

Isn't Hrgo a huge draw in Croatia and a sort of standard bearer for the whole of EE ?

I'm sure he'd fill a stadium for an event fight vs top World oppo.


EO - good assessment, except - not sure Parker has a great engine.
Not like it's terrible, but he seemed to struggle staying with DelBoy's pace - and that in a fight he was winning (sort of) comfortably.

[DrDuke]

Frank Sanchez is a cadaver?

Sanchez is good, but what about him? He wasn't in the mix with these guys. Well, Parker's recent matchups are decent, but a bit earlier he was fighting the human punching bags. Hrgovic has been doing that thing almost always.

Sanchez is not a punching bag.

I agree, I just don't get why you mention him in this context.

[margaret thatcher]

we complain about hrgovic not fighting tough enough opposition (rightfully i might add...havent even heard of 3 of his last 4), but then complain about him possibly fighting good opposition......?.....id be very interested in this fight, real acid test for hrg and also a chance for parker to defend his territory as a solid contender

[HomicideHenry]

I agree he should be tested but I don't think Parker is the appropriate test because it might be a step too far. In my view he has yet to prove he is much different than Daniel Dubois, and maybe that's the kind of fight he needs to prove he's above that level.

[ironbeard]

Sanchez is good, but what about him? He wasn't in the mix with these guys. Well, Parker's recent matchups are decent, but a bit earlier he was fighting the human punching bags. Hrgovic has been doing that thing almost always.

Sanchez is not a punching bag.

I agree, I just don't get why you mention him in this context.

Sanchez v Hrgovic is a better match than Parker v Hrgovic.

Parker v Joyce or Wallin, or Wallin v Joyce are better and more appropriate fights based on merit of work.