Heavyweight contender Johnny Fisher has admitted that one man gave him his toughest ever test in sparring.
Fisher is coming off a fourth round knockout victory over Ivan Baláž in Monte Carlo back in December. It was a solid return to action after losing by fifth round knockout to fellow Brit Dave Allen in May.
That fight was a rematch of their first contest, which saw Fisher get a rather controversial points win the previous December.
Speaking to Seconds Out, Fisher said that big Croatian Fillip Hrgovic gave him his hardest time ever in the gym.
“Fillip Hrgovic, most I ever learnt from. The hardest spars I probably ever had. I sparred him once in the Origin gym before I went to Texas and he gave me a bit of a pasting. I was still up there giving it back but he was pasting me.
“Everyone was like do you really want to go out there and spar him and I was like, ‘Yes,’ and after that, I had my best ever performance against Alen Babic, so it’s thanks to him. Great team, proper men, don’t take it easy in sparring, but he’s a warrior and a proper gentleman.”
Hrgovic won bronze at the 2016 Olympics and has had 20 professional fights, winning 19 and losing just once to Daniel Dubois, though he claimed after that there were plenty of mitigating circumstances. Since then, he has beaten Joe Joyce and David Adeleye.
He has called out both WBO ruler Fabio Wardley and interim champion Agit Kabayel, but as of yet has no fight date locked in.
