Winner of Hrgovic vs Dubois could become IBF heavyweight champion

The winner of Saturday's heavyweight fight between IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois could become world champion if Oleksandr Usyk gives up the belt or is stripped by the sanctioning body.

On Friday, the BBC and talkSPORT reported that the IBF had "tentatively sanctioned" the contest for the interim heavyweight title.

If the interim title is confirmed, the winner will be promoted if current undisputed champion Usyk drops the IBF belt before a rematch with Tyson Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in December.

Fury's manager, Frank Warren, also represents fellow Briton Dubois.

Croatia's Hrgovic is unbeaten in 17 professional fights, while Dubois has 20 wins and two losses, including a defeat to Ukrainian Usyk in August.

Usyk has requested an exemption from the IBF, based in the United States, to defend his title against Fury, whom he defeated earlier this month to become undisputed champion, rather than facing Hrgovic.

The BBC quoted the IBF saying it "does not have a timeline as to when the decision will be made on Usyk's exception request."

The IBF has previously stripped champions of their titles for failing to face mandatory opponents, with Fury losing his heavyweight title in December 2015, ten days after taking it from Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko.

In 2002, Britain's Lennox Lewis was also stripped of his IBF heavyweight title.

"You really don't want the belts to be fragmented, but you've got a guy (Hrgovic) who has been ordered ages ago and has been waiting and waiting and waiting," said the Croatian's promoter Eddie Hearn.

"Maybe the winner of that has AJ (Anthony Joshua) next in line for the IBF. You can't ignore your mandatory challenger for two or three years."

"He (Hrgovic) is told, 'You can't get your title shot until the summer of 2025.' It's not fair. I get both sides of the argument, but I do expect the IBF belt to come vacant."

SportsLigue