Filip Hrgovic W10 Joe Joyce... Filip Hrgovic managed to calm the Joe Joyce storm and beat the 'Juggernaut' by unanimous decision in what was a rollercoaster of a bout in Manchester, England. There was no secret that it was last chance saloon for both heavyweights when it came to either man keeping their boxing careers alive, and Hrgovic and Joyce left it all in the ring. With scores of 97-93, 96-95 and 98-92, Hrgovic was declared the winner and even called for a rematch with IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois who was sitting ringside. For Joyce, this defeat may spell the end of his career despite the man himself claiming that he will fight on. Regardless of what decision the 'Juggernaut' makes next, he will leave behind a legacy of entertaining and thrilling heavyweight battles, with this one against Hrgovic included.
Hrgovic tested Joyce’s chin early in the first round, and right hand landed clean from the Croatian within the first minute of the opening round. Joyce looked within himself, offering little in response and the Hrgovic right hands kept on coming with the ‘Juggernaut’ struggling to defend himself. When Joyce did throw a one-two combination towards the end of the session, there was little to no power which troubled Hrgovic.
Joyce had his guard up in the second, but Hrgovic was enjoying his target practice. Everything about Joyce’s slow and lazy, while his opponent had venom behind his shots. After absorbing another barrage, Joyce shook his head as he attempted to forget the punishment he was being subjected to. A brief period of Joyce success followed, he was backing Hrgovic up and beginning to let his hands go.
Joyce’s resurgence continued in round three. He managed to keep Hrgovic quiet and those hard-hitting punches which made him a feared name were on show. Hrgovic did not allow himself to be completely silenced however with a right-hand stunning Joyce briefly towards the end of the round.
With both men growing in confidence, the fourth saw Joyce and Hrgovic go toe-to-toe. Trading blows aplenty, Joyce ended the session the stronger with Hrgovic confined to the corner, the ‘Juggernaut’ and his right hand caught the attention of the Croatian.
Joyce recognised the best way to keep his opponent at bay was to pin him to the corners and he opted for this strategy in the fifth. A Joyce straight right landed with Hrgovic replying with a jab. Hrgovic eventually escaped the clutches of the corner post, but to his dismay, Joyce’s rise in confidence saw him on the front foot and walk Hrgovic down for the rest of the stanza.
Confusion came across Hrgovic’s face, he had lost control of the fight in the sixth. Joyce was now the man landing punches with Hrgovic’s right hand, which caused plenty of problems early on, failing to inflict any significant punishment.
A flying Joyce right hand kicked off round seven, albeit missing by inches. Joyce then found Hrgovic on the ropes, connecting with a left before Hrgovic replied with a combination of his own. Two dangerous Hrgovic right hands bounced off Joyce’s head before the two clinched, with this heavyweight clash past the halfway stage, what was being served at the last chance saloon was taking its toll on both men.
Jab-right hand, jab-right hand, Joyce found a rhythm in round eight. Hrgovic was open every time to the Joyce right hand, and he even found time to land a left. Joyce was the aggressor, pushing Hrgovic out of a clinch, maybe this was the ‘Juggernaut 2.0’ Joyce had teased at Friday’s weigh-in. Out of nowhere as the seconds ticked down, Hrgovic put a brief halt to Joyce, a shot on the back of the Brit’s head was then followed by two combinations to close the session.
Just like Joyce did in previous rounds, Hrgovic attempted to use his own upward trajectory to his advantage in the ninth session. A swinging Hrgovic right hand connected, and the 32-year-old had revived his best weapon. Joyce staggered with a successful left hand, but Hrgovic returned fire, his right hands were being felt by everyone in arena to the extent where it became routine for any Hrgovic punch to be followed by an “Ooooooo”.
When this heavyweight battle reached the tenth and final round, it was endless swinging from Joyce and Hrgovic. As the clock ticked past 30 seconds remaining, Hrgovic stunned Joyce once more with a one-two combination, but the ‘Juggernaut’ managed to withstand the final assault and see out the fight with both men embracing after the final bell.
