Hrgovic earned that win. After being dropped in the second round, he stayed calm, covered up when necessary, and answered hard enough to keep Itauma working. The crowd encouraged the younger fighter to throw more, while Hrgovic calmly kept stalking him.
Even in defeat against Daniel Dubois, Hrgovic landed heavy shots before being stopped on cuts. He lost but showed how much punishment an opponent might have to take to beat him.
I would favor Saturday’s version of Hrgovic over Fury even at his high point against Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. Wladimir was gun-shy, repeatedly hesitating when he needed to throw. When Fury leaned back against the ropes to avoid head shots, Klitschko let opportunities pass.
Hrgovic would likely stay on his chest and throw chopping right hands, as he did against Itauma in round nine. Leaning away would leave Fury within reach of a fighter willing to keep punching.
At this stage of Fury’s career, I would not expect it to be competitive. Hrgovic, 34, is four years younger and, in my view, fighting at a higher level. Fury looks heavier around the waist than in his best years, and his limited ability wouldn’t keep Hrgovic off him.
With Anthony Joshua next in line, Fury will not risk stepping in to avenge Itauma. Insulting Hrgovic means nothing when he has no intention of backing it up inside the ring. Following shaky outings against Mariusz Wach, Arslanbek Makhmudov, and Oleksandr Usyk, taking on a dangerous threat like Hrgovic would put that massive Joshua payday in serious jeopardy.
