Filip Hrgovic 'to retire' if he loses to Daniel Dubois, ready to replace Tyson Fury if Oleksandr Usyk fight falters

Filip Hrgovic will retire from boxing if he was to lose to Daniel Dubois on June 1 - in what he hopes will turn into an IBF world title fight.

The Croatian is currently No.1 contender for the IBF crown, due a shot after somewhat controversially winning a final eliminator against Zhilei Zhang in the summer of 2022.

Demsey McKean and Mark de Mori have since fallen via knockout, with Hrgovic extending his pro record to 17-0. While he awaits a showdown with one of the stars at the very top of the game - Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua - Hrgovic has Dubois in his sights.

The pair will meet in Riyadh, on the undercard of the hotly-anticipated undisputed light-heavyweight battle between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

Hrgovic's fight - the third of his career in Saudi Arabia - will be part of the historic five-versus-five event taking place between promoters Queensberry and Matchroom, with chiefs Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn each selecting a roster of boxers.

Dubois, Warren's contender, enters the bout in high spirits after winning his most recent outing via KO, against bombastic American Jarrell 'Big Baby' Miller. The Brit has backed himself to beat a man he lost to in sparring several years ago.

Reflecting on their camp together, Hrgovic told IFL TV: "I don’t know why he mentioned that sparring, because that sparring was not so good for him. He should be quiet about that.

"He said he changed - of course he changed. He was young at that time of sparring, but I was young as well. He has definitely improved, but you can never change your character, you can never change who you are as a man. I'm confident I will repeat that sparring [result] on June 1.

"Of course [I would retire if I lose]. How can I live with that? I think I'm the best. I worked hard 18 years in this sport like a f****** maniac. So if I lose to Dubois, f*** that s*** man - obviously I'm not as good as I think I am. So I would retire."

There remains confusion over whether the IBF title, currently held by Usyk, will be on the line for Hrgovic and Dubois. The winner of Fury v Usyk has been ordered to vacate, and with that undisputed clash set for May 18, the belt should be available, in theory.

However, the challenger is well aware boxing's governing bodies rarely work as expected - and has even revealed he is in line to replace Fury, should the British superstar pull out of the fight for a second time.

The 31-year-old continued: "My understanding is that I'm the mandatory challenger. Fury and Usyk fight on May 18 - after that fight, the winner should vacate the title. So me and Dubois should fight for the IBF belt.

"But in boxing, you never know - maybe May 18 doesn't happen again, and I need to jump in and smash Usyk. They told me I should be ready to jump in if something happens."

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