In a recent interview with Queensberry, Hrgovic made some surprising claims about his fight with Dubois. He said he never felt Dubois' power during their bout.
"He didn't rock me, he didn't shake me. I never felt his power. I never was dizzy in that fight."
Hrgovic pointed out that he's never been knocked out or knocked down in his professional career. He also mentioned his amateur record, where he had over 150 fights and was only knocked down once.
The Croatian boxer explained that his loss to Dubois wasn't due to being hurt, but rather to exhaustion from being sick before the fight.
"I was just exhausted because of sickness. After six rounds I couldn't stand on my legs cause, like I said, I was sick before the fight."
Despite Hrgovic's claims, the fight with Dubois told a different story. Hrgovic started strong, landing around 60 power shots in the first five rounds. But as the fight went on, Dubois found more success. The British boxer weathered the early storm and landed huge right hands on Hrgovic, opening cuts on his face. After eight bloody rounds, the referee stopped the action, giving Dubois the win by TKO.
Hrgovic also talked about his previous fight with Zhilei Zhang, where he was knocked down. He claimed it wasn't a legitimate knockdown, saying Zhang pulled him down.
"He pulled me. Yeah I got a count, but the referee shouldn't [have] because I know what I felt. I didn't feel rocked, I just felt that he pulled me behind my head, and because of his southpaw stance I fell down."
Despite downplaying their power, Hrgovic acknowledged both Dubois and Zhang as "big punchers." He said, "He's obviously a big puncher, and Dubois is obviously a big puncher, but [they couldn't knock me down.]"
After beating Hrgovic, Dubois became the Interim IBF Champion. He was later elevated to full champion when Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt. Now, Dubois is looking for an undisputed showdown with Usyk, who he lost to in 2023.
As for Hrgovic, his upcoming fight against Joe Joyce is crucial. Joyce is a late replacement for the injured Dillian Whyte, but Hrgovic knows he must win to keep his career on track. The heavyweight division waits to see if Hrgovic can back up his words with action in the ring.