Filip Hrgovic takes on Daniel Dubois this Saturday in Saudi Arabia and the stakes for the contest have been given a major boost.
Hrgovic is the number one ranked heavyweight within the IBF ratings and has been patiently waiting for his shot at the belt.
When Oleksandr Usyk inflicted Tyson Fury’s first career defeat on May 18 he became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis and only the man to achieve it in the four belt era.
After the Ukrainian collected all the belts it was presumed that he would be stripped of his IBF title as a contractual rematch clause with ‘The Gypsy King’ meant he wouldn’t be able to fulfil his mandatory duties.
However, the 37-year-old was temporarily medically suspended by the Saudi Arabia boxing commission due to the nature of the fight against Fury and the title cannot be stripped when a boxer is not in a position to defend it.
This left the Hrgovic-Dubois fight looking like another final eliminator for the title, but the IBF has now ruled that the clash on Saturday will be for its interim heavyweight title.
‼️ Filip Hrgovic vs Daniel Dubois on Saturday night will now be for the IBF ‘interim’ heavyweight belt, meaning the winner may well end up being upgraded to become full IBF heavyweight world champion if Oleksandr Usyk is stripped/vacates in the coming months.
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) May 31, 2024
The news means that the winner of that fight could be elevated to full champion if, as expected, Usyk vacates or is stripped of the strap when his suspension is lifted.
Usyk and Fury will run it back on December 21 after the Brit activated his rematch clause, but it now looks unlikely that all four belts will be on the line again.
Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie hearn has stated that the winner of Hrgovic-Dubois will most likely face ‘AJ’ at Wembley Stadium in September, with his man looking to become a three-time heavyweight champion.
