Filip Hrgovic is clearly confident ahead of his June 1 encounter against Daniel Dubois on Saturday (June 1) in Saudi Arabia.
The pair will feature in the Matchroom vs. Queensberry tournament, which serves as the undercard to Dmitrii Bivol’s WBA light-heavyweight title defense against replacement opponent Malik Zinad, following Artur Beterbiev’s withdrawal from the undisputed encounter with Bivol due to injury.
Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) and Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) have a history of sparring, having shared rounds together several years ago.
Speaking to Queensberry’s YouTube channel ahead of the fight, the Croat Hrgovic is confident his own mental strength will play a critical role in Dubois’ downfall on June 1 in Riyadh.
“I think I have a psychological advantage with that sparring session, but the fight is a fight. That was a long time ago. We’ll see what’s going on this Saturday,” said Hrgovic.
Last December, Dubois proved his critics wrong with a bold and gritty victory against Jarrell Miller following questions about his heart after being accused of taking the easy way out following defeats against Joe Joyce and, last August, against Oleksandr Usyk.
Hrgovic continued to label Dubois as a quitter but praised the Englishman for his victory against Miller, adding that the 26-year-old Dubois was a “solid fighter.”
“He [Dubois] quit two times. It’s not good for a fighter to quit, but I think he’s a solid fighter. He proved in some fights that he’s a good fighter, especially in his last fight. He proved that he can also fight in the late rounds as well,” said Hrgovic.
Despite Dubois’s valiant showing against Miller, Hrgovic is confident he can stop his opponent inside the distance. Hrgovic believes Dubois does not react well to fighters pressing the action or to being hit.
“I think he [Dubois] has a problem with receiving punches that he doesn’t like. He doesn’t like to receive punches and be hit. He’s not so good with that. I think I’m the opposite. I proved that I have a really good chin,” added Hrgovic
“I was never stopped in over 100 amateur fights and never in sparring. I think I have that quality of never giving up, and I think if I put good pressure and if I hit him with my best shots, I will stop him.”
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