Current challenger for the IBF mandatory heavyweight title Philip "El Animal" Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) defeated Viking stamp De Mori (41-3-2, 36 KOs) in the first round on Saturday night's undercard at the Royal Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Hrgovic sent De Mori to the floor in the first round, and then went for the finish until a towel flew out of his corner. The time the fight was stopped was 1:46. Hrgovic promised before the fight that he would punish De Mori, and he did so.
Filip Hrgovic's next fight will almost certainly be for the vacant IBF heavyweight title, with the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk expected to lose the belt due to a rematch clause. When asked about the possibility of a meeting with Jared Anderson if Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder next meet each other as planned, Hrgovic replied: “Jared Anderson is for my breakfast. It’s not smart for this guy to fight me.”
