Filip Hrgovic cleared what might be his final hurdle before he gets his first title shot.
The No. 1-ranked Croatian heavyweight knocked out overmatched Mark De Mori at 1:46 of the first round of a scheduled 10-rounder on the card featuring Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua in separate fights Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
EL ANIMAL
Filip Hrgovic 🇭🇷 destroys his opponent in the first round 🥊💥#DayOfReckoning
— Combat Sports Today 📰 (@CSTodayNews) December 23, 2023
Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) put De Mori (41-3-2, 36 KOs) down and hurt him with a right hand about a minute into the fight. The Aussie was able to get up but a series of hard, unanswered follow-up blows convinced the referee to end the wipe out.
Now Hrgovic must wait. He’s ranked No. 1 by the IBF, meaning he’s first in line to fight for Oleksandr Usyk’s title.
However, he must wait to see how things play out. Usyk is scheduled to face Tyson Fury for the undisputed championship on Feb. 17. And the fighters reportedly agreed to a two-way rematch clause.
