On Saturday night in Manchester, Filip Hrgovic vs Joe Joyce provides what should be a heavyweight boxing blockbuster, and we have expert predictions for you.
This cracker – which will be streamed live globally on DAZN – pits two men both in the fight game’s last chance saloon as they look to rebound from damaging defeats to rekindle their faltering world title ambitions.
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Simply put, it’s not titles but heavyweight careers that are on the line here, and already we’ve had one major change before we even got to fight week. ‘The Juggernaut’ had been set for an all-British heavyweight dust-up with Dillian Whyte, but ‘The Body Snatcher’ suffered a finger injury in training a few weeks back and so Hrgovic takes this assignment at relatively short notice.
Hrgovic vs Joyce expert analysis
Hrgovic (17-1 with 14 wins inside distance) has not seen since being stopped by Daniel Dubois – his first defeat as a professional – in Saudi last year.
Joyce 16-3 (15) meanwhile lost against Dereck Chisora last time out in a shock, so one feels the loser here will have little room for manoeuvre at the top table of heavyweight boxing.
Both men can bang but one feels Joyce – a loser in three of his last four fights – could be nearing the exit door at the age of 39 and Hrgovic won’t have to go looking for him.
Two years ago, the Londoner looked indestructible as he moved to 15-0 and that run included stoppage wins against current IBF world heavyweight champion Dubois and Joseph Parker.
Predictions and picks
However, he has not looked the same fighter since back-to-back stoppage defeats to Zhilei Zhang and the pick here is for the Croatian to get to Joyce and win by KO, TKO or disqualification (top price 5/6).
It could be a tear up while it lasts so 8/5 that the fights lasts ‘Under 6.5 rounds’ is also worth a nibble.
