England’s Daniel Dubois produced the biggest performance of his career to stop Filip Hrgovic and potentially propel himself into an all-British superfight with Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium.
Hrgovic started fast and seemingly couldn’t miss with his right hand early as he cracked Dubois repeatedly with big punches through the opening two rounds.
But it was far from one-way traffic as Dubois looked to fight fire with fire and, as the the fight settled into a rhythm, it was Dubois, not Hrgovic, who was calling the tune.
The Englishman kept the action at close range and continued to load up on big shots as he pushed a harder pace than Hrgovic could handle. That pace, along with Dubois’ output and punch power, started to take effect as the bout entered the middle rounds.
And as Dubois found his range with his big shots, the damage was evident across Hrgovic’s face, as “Dynamite” repeatedly exploded heavy shots on the undefeated Croatian’s face.
Dubois came close to getting the finish in the seventh round, as he unloaded a combination of big shots that appeared close to stopping Hrgovic, but the bell saved the Croatian and bought him some temporary respite.
However, the reprieve was only a short one, as Dubois resumed his onslaught after the bell and, after dishing out more punishment, the referee, on the doctor’s advice, called an end to the action 57 seconds into Round 8.
It meant that Dubois was crowned IBF interim heavyweight champion, as Frank Warren’s Team Queensberry secured victory, and $3 million, in the 5 vs. 5 head-to-head with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
It may also propel Dubois into a huge all-UK heavyweight clash with Anthony Joshua at London’s Wembley Stadium later this year.
5 vs. 5: Queensberry vs. Matchroom – Official Results
- Zhilei Zhang (Q) def. Deontay Wilder (captain, M) via knockout – Round 5, 1:51
- Daniel Dubois (Q) def. Filip Hrgovic (M) via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 8, 0:57 – for IBF interim heavyweight title
- Dmitry Bivol def. Malik Zinad via TKO – Round 6, 2:06 – for WBA Super and IBO light heavyweight titles
- Hamza Sheeraz (captain, Q) def. Austin Williams (M) via TKO – Round 11, 0:45 – WBC silver middleweight title
- Nick Ball (Q) def. Raymond Ford (M) via split decision (113-115, 115-113, 115-113) – for WBA featherweight title
- Willy Hutchinson (Q) def. Craig Richards (M) via unanimous decision (116-112, 117-111, 119-109) – for WBC silver light heavyweight title
