In the main event Saturday night in Doncaster, England, Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgovic stopped hometown favorite Dave Allen in the third round. The heavily favored Hrgovic controlled the fight from the opening bell, breaking Allen down with sustained offense until the Englishman's corner called it off.
A statement win arrived Saturday in Doncaster, where Filip Hrgovic overwhelmed Dave Allen and forced a third-round stoppage in the main event. The Croatian heavyweight handled business quickly in England, then immediately turned attention toward a possible summer clash with rising prospect Moses Itauma.
That matters because the heavyweight division remains crowded behind the established championship names, and Hrgovic is clearly trying to hold his place in that mix. For American boxing fans, he is still best known as the dangerous contender who fell short against Daniel Dubois, so every comeback performance now carries real stakes. A win over Itauma would keep Hrgovic relevant in the global title picture; a loss would likely push him behind the next generation for good.
After the fight, Hrgovic embraced the idea of facing Itauma and delivered a pointed line about the matchup. “Moses will never reach his promised land, if you know what I mean,” Hrgovic said with a menacing look after the win.
He also acknowledged the hostile crowd while celebrating the result. “Sorry, guys, I know everyone here was against me, I know the fans are upset right now, but it is what it is. This is boxing. Thanks to Dave, thanks to his team,” Hrgovic said. “I’m very happy with this win and moving forward to become heavyweight world champion. And yes, I started fast because I was landing on him, he was open. I wanted to knock him out quickly to make a statement.”
Queensberry executive George Warren suggested the Itauma fight is already a serious target for this summer, saying the matchup was one of the options tied to Hrgovic signing with the promoter and that the goal now is to get it finalized and announced.
Hrgovic’s only loss as a pro came against Dubois in 2024, when the fight was stopped because of facial damage. Since then, Hrgovic has rebuilt momentum with decision wins over Joe Joyce and David Adeleye before adding this stoppage of Allen. Now 20-1 with 15 knockouts, he has put together another strong run against British heavyweights, while Allen dropped to 25-9-2 with 20 knockouts. The next thing to watch is whether Hrgovic gets the Itauma fight and, if he does, whether he can stop the division from moving on without him.
