Bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics Filip Hrgovic (15-0, 12 KOs) last Saturday on the undercard Usyk-Joshua II in an extremely tense and dramatic and interesting IBF heavyweight eliminator defeated the vice-champion of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing Zhang Zhilei (24-1-1, 19 KOs).
“The victory was hard, but it is a victory and I am happy about it. After the victory, I received flowers from my countrymen. After the fight, in which I almost died in the ring... Now I am a mandatory contender for the champion title. The championship fight can take place in a few months, ”said Hrgovic.
“I was not very shocked after the knockdown, but my opponent got it well. He led by two points and had a psychological advantage after the first round. Then I also missed strong blows. I did not expect such a difficult fight, but I found the strength to return to the game and win. For Zhilei, it was a battle for life, and I did not have the best day. I would like to have a rematch, because I am sure that it would be much easier for me to win the second time. I heard that Alain Babich, who often spoke all sorts of nonsense about me, stood up for me after the fight with Zhilei. Thanks to Babich for this, this is how a fellow countryman should behave, ”added the Croat.
“I would like to have another fight like this that will put me on the edge of my strength. I haven't fought anyone really strong for a long time, and it's relaxing, although I'm training like crazy. I have to have strong opponents in order to succeed in the fight for the championship title. I will probably have another fight in December,” continued Hrgovic.
“As you know, I was preparing for the duel with Zhilei, despite the recent death of my father. I never felt worse, I did not want to live and get out of bed. I had to somehow find the strength in myself to train. But I was not myself, I was losing ground under my feet. I'm not making excuses, I'm just describing the situation I'm in. I think it had a big impact on me,” summed up the topic “El Animal”.
