Oleksandr Usyk vs. Filip Hrgovic - IBF Ordered

[Ruthless-RKO]

Usyk-Hrgovic Mandatory Title Fight Ordered By IBF; Matchroom Requests Immediate Purse Bid

The road to crowning an undisputed heavyweight champion has endured its first roadblock.

Boxing Scene has confirmed that unified WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO heavyweight titlist Oleksandr Usyk was instructed by the IBF to enter negotiations for a mandatory title defense against number-one contender Filip Hrgovic. Representatives for the pair of unbeaten heavyweights were officially notified via official letter, though Hrgovic’s side doesn’t seem interested in dragging out the process.

“We just got the news through that Oleksandr Usyk has been ordered to fight Filip Hrgovic next,” Eddie Hearn, chairman of Matchroom Sport, confirmed to DAZN’s Claudia Trejos preceding a live telecast from Cleveland, Ohio. “He is the mandatory challenger. We’ve actually requested an immediate purse bid for that fight. That’s going to be next for Oleksandr Usyk.”

Matchroom Boxing and Wasserman Boxing co-promote Hrgovic, a 2016 Olympic Bronze medalist from Croatia. Usyk (20-0, 13KOs) is guided by Alex Krassyuk’s K2 Promotions-Ukraine but whose last several fights have taken place on Matchroom shows.

Usyk is coming off two consecutive wins over Anthony Joshua, winning and defending the unified heavyweight titles in successive fashion. Hrgovic became the IBF mandatory with a disputed twelve-round win over Zhang Zhilei on the August 20 undercard of Usky’s repeat victory over England’s Joshua in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The hope at the time was that Usyk would next enter talks for an undisputed showdown with lineal/WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (32-0-1, 23KOs). The plans were parked when it was decided by Fury that he needed to fight before year’s end while Usky was not ready to return until the first quarter of 2023 at the earliest.

Fury was reportedly in talks for an all-British showdown with Joshua, only for those plans to fall through. The unbeaten two-time lineal champion from Manchester, England—now based out of Morecambe—will instead face countryman Derek Chisora in a trilogy bout scheduled for December 3 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London. Fittingly, the venue hosted Usyk’s first win over Joshua which saw the Ukrainian southpaw become a two-division champion after previously serving as undisputed cruiserweight king.

The quest to enjoy undisputed status in a second weight division will, for now, depend on what can be worked out beyond the ropes. Hrgovic (15-0, 12KOs) showed significant flaws in his win over Zhilei but is in a position of power to where his team can at least negotiate a step-aside fee to allow Usyk to revisit talks for a fight with Fury.

Also lurking are the mandatory challengers with both the WBA and WBO.

Daniel Dubois holds the secondary version of the WBA heavyweight title, while Joe Joyce is the interim WBO titlist. Both are promoted by Queensberry Promotions, as is Fury. Queensberry sought to have Joyce identified as next in line for Usyk during the WBO convention in late October, though WBO president Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcarcel would not commit to granting the order.

According to the rotation, the WBA should be next in line.

The last heavyweight mandatory title defense made with boxing’s oldest sanctioning body came in September 2018, when then-unbeaten Joshua defended his unified WBA/IBF/WBO title in a seventh-round knockout of Alexander Povetkin. The fight was deemed as a WBA/WBO double mandatory, with the IBF obligation satisfied in December 2020 when Joshua—who lost and then regained the titles—scored a ninth-round stoppage of number-one contender Kubrat Pulev.

Usyk entered his September 2021 meeting with Joshua as the WBO mandatory challenger.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Next on the rota was WBA, but this is typical of the IBF. We know unification takes precedence over mandatory.

Hearn being sneaky asking for purse bids. Probably thinks Hrg can beat Usyk then BAM in comes AJ.

Fvck the IBF.

[oogiebe]

First thought: Usyk stops hrg.

[marvelous marv]

He knows Hrg will lose. But fighting Usyk raises his profile. So he can be fed to Joshua later in the year.

[DrDuke]

Usyk 12-0.

[Thomastearns]

Usyk 12-0.

Yes basically it's a well paid boxing lesson for Hrgovic.

Or a clever way for Hearn to give AJ another chance to regain his belts.

The fight that these crookedly self-serving sanctioning bodies should be ordering is Usyk v Fury.

I doubt whether even Hrgovic would complain about that.

How about Hrgovic v Joshua in the meantime?

As they say, a win-win situation for the people that matter, the people that happen to pay everyone's wages, the people that keep the sport alive - the fans.

[DrDuke]

How about Hrgovic v Joshua in the meantime?

As they say, a win-win situation for the people that matter, the people that happen to pay everyone's wages, the people that keep the sport alive - the fans.

Yeah, it's way more interesting.

[maverick23]

The IBF shouldn’t have let it get to this stage. Based on their rules, they’ve kind of backed themselves into a corner.

If Fury signs to fight Usyk in Feb already and doesn’t bother with Chisora 3 then it’s a non-issue.

Eddie’s done what he should have done and what’s in the best interests of his fighter in Hrgovic. They’ll either get a substantial step aside, the IBF don’t enforce their rules and put themselves open to litigation or Usyk vacates.

[Finkel]

It's not ideal is it. But the last IBF mandatory was Dec 2020. So it will be be two years this Winter...

Usyk got his shot by pushing for his own WBO mandatory, so he knows the drill.

[tiny_acres]

It's funny how people bitch when the champion doesn't fight his mandatory and they butch when they do.
Not a big deal fight your mandatory fury isn't going to fight usyk anytime soon

[Ruthless-RKO]

It's funny how people bitch when the champion doesn't fight his mandatory and they butch when they do.
Not a big deal fight your mandatory fury isn't going to fight usyk anytime soon

It depends on the scenario. We clearly know Usyk’s team are in close discussions with Fury’s team.

[oogiebe]

It's funny how people bitch when the champion doesn't fight his mandatory and they butch when they do.
Not a big deal fight your mandatory fury isn't going to fight usyk anytime soon

Hrg being 'mandatory' is a joke.

[Perkin Warbeck]

Oleksandr Usyk will very likely vacate and fight Fury.

Ruiz will fight Wilder, Hrgovic and Joshua will likely fight for the vacant IBF belt.

Although I hope Ruiz changes his mind and fights Hrgovic.

[cormack]

First thought: Usyk stops hrg.

Hmm maybe by sheer accumulation of punches rather than a big shot .

[oogiebe]

First thought: Usyk stops hrg.

Hmm maybe by sheer accumulation of punches rather than a big shot .

Def not a big shot. He'd just beat him up and wear him out. Hrg doesn't impress.

[Lackeos]

Damn, that's a close match-up. Real close match-up. No idea in the world who I'd pick for that one. Good thing the IBF ordered it.

[oogiebe]

Damn, that's a close match-up. Real close match-up. No idea in the world who I'd pick for that one. Good thing the IBF ordered it.

[CMCanavessi]

Usyk easy ko

[Ruthless-RKO]

Hearn: Only Way Usyk Can Get [IBF] Exception Is If Hrgovic Says He Can; He Doesn't Want To

"The IBF ordered it. We’ve already said we’re not willing to negotiate,” Hearn reiterated in a recent interview with IFL TV shortly after the development. “This is the request of the team. I want to have an immediate purse bid. That’s within the rules of the IBF. That means that you cannot get an exception. The only way [Usyk] can get an exception is if Hrgovic says he can. And he doesn’t want to give him an exception because he wants to fight for the title.”

“The purse bid notice shall advise registered promoters of the minimum bid required under this Rule. The purses for each boxer include all expenses for the boxers and their trainers.”

“I've already spoken to people... who are obviously quite upset that it is gonna stop Fury vs Usyk for now,” acknowledged Hearn. “But at the same time, it has nothing to do with me. We represent Filip Hrgovic. We don't represent Tyson Fury or Usyk at the moment. We’ve got a job to do for Filip Hrgovic. He won the final eliminator. He’s the mandatory.”

[Thomastearns]

“I've already spoken to people... who are obviously quite upset that it is gonna stop Fury vs Usyk for now,” acknowledged Hearn.

“But at the same time, it has nothing to do with me. We represent Filip Hrgovic. We don't represent Tyson Fury or Usyk at the moment. We’ve got a job to do for Filip Hrgovic. He won the final eliminator. He’s the mandatory.”


Nice one Eddie.

That's a great example of a lie hidden within a truth.

To say that it's got nothing to do with him is stretching things just a little bit too far.

You can almost smell Hearn's desperation in wanting those HW titles back in the Matchroom trophy cabinet.

I'm all for champions fighting their mandatories but not when there's a fight that easily 10 times bigger out there.

[daz74]

The IBF could of called for the Mandatory after Usyk Joshua 2. Maybe they held off to allow time for the Undisputed to be made. Either way, all the belts are in the hands of 2 fighters, and so the Undisputed fight can still be made after Fury Chisora 3 & Usyk Hrgovic

[morm]

finally good promocions work for Hrgovic
Hrgovic vs Usyk, ones in the Wsb Usyk run away, Rostyslav Arkhypenko replace him and get a beating
Time to see the match vs Usyk

[Lackeos]

You can almost smell Hearn's desperation in wanting those HW titles back in the Matchroom trophy cabinet.

Bruh, what? You think Hearn is pressing for Usyk - Hrgovic because he wants Hrgovic to win? That's absolutely not what's going on here. Hearn is pushing to get paid maximum step-aside money. He's trying trying to play the hardest hardball so that Fury and/or Usyk will pay him at least $5-10 million to step aside. You've been following boxing for a while, right? You know that Hrgovic has 0 chance of beating Usyk, right? He couldn't even convincingly beat Zhilei Zhang.

[Verdi]

Seen on social media that Usyk is vacating and it'll be AJ vs Hrgovic for the title.

[CMCanavessi]

He couldn't even convincingly beat Zhilei Zhang.

Remove "convincingly".