Filip Hrgovi? has been forced to delay his IBF Heavyweight World Title Final Eliminator against Zhang Zhilei following the death of his father.
Having waited over a year for his opportunity to earn a shot at Oleksandr Usyk’s Heavyweight crown, the Croatian star was set to face Olympic Silver medallist Zhilei on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez’s blockbuster clash with Dmitry Bivol on May 7 at the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“We could not in good conscience allow Filip to enter the ring during this tough time.” said Hrgovi?’s promoter Kalle Sauerland. “We would like to thank the IBF, Daryl Peoples, Zhang Zhilei and our partners Matchroom Boxing for their understanding and compassion in this matter. Pero Hrgovi? was a big part of the team and will be forever missed by us all. Filip will take some time out now to be with his family before resuming his training. We look forward to announcing a new date soon for this exciting Heavyweight clash to determine the next challenger for the IBF World Title and wish both Zhilei Zhang and Scott Alexander good luck in their fight tonight”.
