Filip Hrgovic Promises Stoppage in Daniel Dubois Rematch, Targets March
Hrgovic confronted Dubois in the ring after the Wardley fight and called for a March rematch.
Filip Hrgovic wants another shot at Daniel Dubois, and he wants it in March.
The Croatian heavyweight wasted no time calling for a rematch after watching Dubois retain his WBO title with a second-round demolition of Fabio Wardley on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London. Hrgovic confronted Dubois in the ring for a face-off immediately after the fight, per Boxing News 24.
Hrgovic was unimpressed by Wardley's showing. "I was not impressed," he said. "Something wasn't right, and it was an easy job for Daniel." He questioned whether Wardley had fully recovered from their first meeting.
Coming off his win over Moses Itauma, Hrgovic believes the speed difference will work in his favor. "I think after Moses, fighting Daniel will be like slow motion, man," he said. Hrgovic plans to neutralize Dubois' jab, keep him moving backward, and force the kind of messy exchanges where Dubois has historically shown vulnerability.
Hrgovic claims he was sick and injured during their first fight, attributing his cuts to Dubois' head. He says the rematch will look nothing like that night. "I will control him with the jab, move my head, block his jab," Hrgovic told Boxing News 24, outlining a pressure-heavy approach that relies on head movement and ring control.
Dubois has not publicly responded to the callout. With no injuries from the short night against Wardley, a March timeline is realistic if the two sides can reach a deal.
I will give Hrgovic credit for showing up in the ring and making his case. That takes stones. But the "I was sick and injured" excuse from the first fight is wearing thin. Every fighter walks into the ring carrying something. You lost, you got cut up, own it.
That said, a March rematch makes sense for Dubois. The WBO belt needs defending, and the big unification fights with Usyk or Fury are not materializing yet. Hrgovic is a legitimate top-ten heavyweight who just beat Itauma. If Dubois is as good as he looked against Wardley, he should take this fight and prove the first win was not a fluke.
Hrgovic's plan to neutralize the jab and push Dubois backward is solid on paper. Dubois has shown he can wobble when opponents get in his face and make it ugly. But Hrgovic could not execute that plan the first time around. What has changed? A win over a young prospect does not automatically translate to solving Dubois. I want to see this fight, but my money stays on Dubois until Hrgovic shows me something different.
https://www.boxingnews24.com/2026/10/filip-hrgovic-promises-stoppage-in-daniel-dubois-rematch/
