FILIP HRGOVIC pulled out of the IBF heavyweight eliminator against Zhang Zhilei, following the death of his father.
This was the most interesting fight on the undercard to Canelo Alvarez’s WBA super-lightweight bout against Dmitry Bivol.
Filip Hrgovic pulled out of the fight against Zhang Zhilei following the death of his father
Boxing Scene reports Hrgovic Sr. has died in April. The Croatian fighter was "unable to focus on training," which led to his withdrawal.
The winner would have been Oleksandr Usyk, who is currently the IBF heavyweight champion.
After beating Anthony Joshua on points in September, the Ukrainian will be facing him again.
Zhilei will still fight on the Canelo Undercard. An opponent has been drafted in late notice.
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Canelo was, however, the last to enter the ring when he defeated Caleb Plant in round 11 to claim the undisputed super-middleweight title.
Alvarez will now challenge at 175lbs, where he last campaigned against Sergey Kovalev in November 2019, winning the WBO strap.
Bivol is a more difficult task than Kovalev. However, he's a fresher fighter who has some solid wins including Jean Pascal and Joe Smith Jr.
In his four-month-old last fight, Umar Salamov beat the Russian on points.
Get a PS10 Bonus with 100s of Games to Play and No Deposit RequiredCanelo stated: "[Dmitry] is a really great boxer. He is a solid champion at 175. It's a very dangerous fight. It's a great challenge.
It's something I really enjoy. But, I have faith in my abilities and I am strong. It's going to be a tough fight, but I am confident.
"I like the idea of 175, being undisputed." This is what I like. But you never know."
