Heavyweights Joyce, Hrgovic renew rivalry with a lot on the line
Old foes seek to revive careers in Queensberry's main event on Saturday
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There is no belt at stake nor is the fight an official eliminator but heavyweights Joe Joyce and Filip Hrgovic have much more than that riding on the outcome of their bout.
Both big men, who have faced top opponents, been ranked in the top 10, and fought each other as amateurs 12 years ago, are coming off losses, — and in Joyce’s case, three defeats in his last four fights. A win will revive one of their careers but a second straight loss will relegate the loser to also-ran status, which may not be fair but is the harsh reality of heavyweight boxing.
So, with an eye toward planting themselves back in title contention, they will meet in the 10-round main event of Queensberry Promotions’ “Heavy Impact” card that will kick off the company’s new exclusive deal with DAZN on Saturday (2 p.m. ET) at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.
“The main event between Joe and Filip is a cracker of a fight,” Queensberry promoter Frank Warren said at the news conference on Thursday. “It is a fight with jeopardy involved where the winner will go on and the loser will have a hard, hard task to get back into the mix at the top. We all know what is on the line and they know that better than anybody else in this room.”