Filip Hrgovic against David Adeleye – heavyweight clash on August 16! Both fight in Riyadh for the next step towards the world title.
An explosive heavyweight clash enriches the undercard of Moses Itauma vs. Dillian Whyte on August 16 in Riyadh: Filip Hrgovic steps into the ring against David Adeleye. The fight will set the course for both boxers – the winner will move closer to the world elite. Filip Hrgovic (18-1, 14 knockouts) made an impressive comeback in April with a convincing points victory over Joe Joyce. The Croatian giant showed his technical maturity for ten rounds against the tough Briton and underlined his ambitions of making another run at the world championships. His only defeat to date was against the current IBF champion Daniel Dubois.
David Adeleye (14-1, 13 knockouts) was also in action in April – at the same event. He secured the British title in a controversial fight against Jeamie Tshikeva. A controversial referee intervention and a subsequent knockout victory triggered protests and the scheduling of a rematch. But Adeleye has other plans: instead of taking revenge against Tshikeva, he dares to take the next step – and meets Hrgovic. The ring in Riyadh is not new territory for Adeleye. He was already on the undercard of Fury vs. Ngannou in October 2023 – when he was clearly defeated by Fabio Wardley. Now he wants to do better.
Other highlights of the fight night:
- Nick Ball defends his WBA featherweight title against Sam Goodman, who moves up from super bantamweight.
- Ray Ford will face Anthony Cacace at super featherweight, who stopped Leigh Wood early in May.
- Hayato Tsutsumi from Japan boxes against Qais Ashfaq – an exciting featherweight duel.
Text by Robin Josten