Matchroom wins purse bid for Hrgovic-Hunter IBF eliminator
Both men are Olympic veterans, Hrgovic in Rio and Hunter in London
As expected, the IBF heavyweight final eliminator between top prospect Filip Hrgovic and dangerous contender Michael Hunter went to a purse bid today, and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing emerged victorious.
Delighted to win the purse bid for @Filip_Hrgovic v @MichaelHunterII - IBF final eliminator - big fight!!! @SauerlandBros
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) April 20, 2021
Neither a date nor a location has yet been revealed. DAZN already has a few summer dates set aside for fights like Jaime Munguia vs. TBA and Ryan Garcia vs. Javier Fortuna, so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see this fight tag along.
As we’ve mentioned, this is a solid matchup between Olympic veterans; Hunter (19-1-1, 13 KO) rebounded from a disappointing London run and a slow pro cruiserweight start to become a genuine contender at heavyweight, while Rio bronze medalist Hrgovic (12-0, 10 KO) passes the eye test but is due for a step up in competition.
As we’ve also mentioned, it’ll probably be a while before winner actually gets his title shot. Of the four major sanctioning bodies, the IBF had the most recent heavyweight mandatory when Anthony Joshua beat Kubrat Pulev, pushing them to the back of the queue for the eventual undisputed champ. Combine the logjam of contenders with the near-certainty that we’re going to get a Joshua-Fury rematch regardless of outcome and you get a long delay.