The penultimate fight prior to Joshua-Uysk II is #14 Filip Hrgovic vs. #55 Zhilei Zhang. Both fighters are Olympic medalists and undefeated in the pros, and both stand 6' 6". Hrgovic is the younger fighter by 7 years.
Hrgovic (14-0-0) won a Bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics and has a perfect record so far. Lately he's been less than active and some think he's regressed, but he remains a feared prospect, turned down by many prospective opponents.
Zhang (24-0-1) won a Silver medal in the 2012 Olympics. He recently fought Jerry Forrest to a draw which put the only blemish on his otherwise perfect pro record.
Round-by-round scoring:
- Round One: Good shot from Hrgovic as the fighters stand at a distance appropriate to their height. Hrgovic mostly doing more work until a minute left when Zhang lands a right hook to the ear that knocks Hrgovic down and makes the round easy to score. Hrgovic looks mostly recovered by the end of the round but already a surprise. 10-8 Zhang
- Round Two: Hrgovic back to the jab, both looking casual as they did most of the last round. Hrgovic more active but Zhang picking his spots as he pushes in for a combo. Huge right from Hrgovic but Zhang takes it well. Another combo rocks Zhang who doesn't have time to set for his slower attack, but he forces his way inside for a combo. Hrgovic's attack is starting to wear on Zhang by the end of the round. 10-9 Hrgovic; 19-18 Zhang.
- Round Three: Accidental clash of heads early as Zhang rushes inside, causing a bad cut on Hrgovic in the hairline...they're resetting. Good. Good jab by Zhang but Hrgovic returns a few of his own. Zhang's rushing attacks are bothering Hrgovic but other than that, Hrgovic is controlling the ring. Both are covering up well but throwing pretty hard shots too. Pretty even round but Hrgovic probably takes it. 10-9 Hrgovic; 28-28
- Round Four: Combo from Hrgovic. Zhang has the center though and stalks him. Good solid 1-2 from Hrgovic. Zhang is taking everything well so far, and just when it looks like he's getting a bit overwhelmed he returns fire and backs Hrgovic up. Great uppercut from Zhang. Both are looking a bit tired now, they've both taken hard shots, even if most have been blocked. Zhang has Hrgovic in corner; the ref calls break every time Zhang gets inside. Another close round with back and forth but Hrgovic is more active, even if Zhang had the best punch of the round. 10-9 Hrgovic; 38-37 Hrgovic
- Round Five: Dull first minute, then Hrgovic starts to outwork Zhang again. He's faster and is staying out of reach when not punching. Zhang starting to look tired in the last minute. Zhang needs another punch like he had in the first round but he's done nothing this round. Until the final seconds when he has a great counter that stuns Hrgovic. But it's too little too late. 10-9 Hrgovic; 48-46 Hrgovic
- Round Six: Zhang is just wandering into range and getting pummeled. The difference here is not as much skill as age and shape. But Zhang is having a moment in the middle of the round, hitting Hrgovic and chasing him around. Hrgovic clinches and both are tired. No holding at all is being allowed though, not for even a second. Zhang has Hrgovic in the corner again as the round ends. 10-9 Zhang; Hrgovic 57-56
- Round Seven: Both look tired to start the 7th. Big shots from Hrgovic early. Huge punch from Hrgovic and Zhang takes it but that was a potential knockdown against most people. Zhang has slowed down a lot after last round's activity. He's a step slow too as Hrgovic conects with a big left hook. Zhang has done nothing in the first two minutes and tries to clinch which is immediately shut down by the ref. Hrgovic is hardly energetic but he's doing all the work this round. 10-9 Hrgovic; 67-65
- Round Eight: False start to the round gives both an extra breather. Great counter by Zhang as Hrgovic comes in but it doesn't have an effect, and now Hrgovic is stepping it up. Most of his punches are blocked by Zhang's peek-a-boo guard but they're adding up, and he goes to the body too. Zhang isn't firing back either, making things easy for Filip. Zhang has nothing on his pawing punches, making Hrgovic smell blood. Another clinch for 1/2 second. Zhang isn't running though, he's standing right in front which isn't a great strategy if he's not throwing. 10-9 Hrgovic; 77-74
- Round Nine: More confusion at the start of this round. Both fighters are slow at the start but Hrgovic is trying to pick his shots better I think. Wet spots on the canvas, which delayed both the last two rounds, are causing some slipping and the action is stopped. Squeaky shoes might lead to a slip here. Now it's Hrgovic trying to hold, it seems he's using a lot of energy trying to put Zhang away and is getting a bit tired. Zhang is at least firing back this round and he has another good moment near the end of the round, not letting Hrgovic off the hook. Great late round from Zhang 10-9; Hrgovic 86-84
- Round Ten: Scoring might be interesting here now. Let's see if Zhang has anything left after his late flurry. Hrgovic keeping him at bay so far. Neither fighter is particularly spry right now but Hrgovic is lighter on his feet for sure. Combos from Hrgovic but not much is landing flush. Zhang looks spent, tries to clinch but we know that's not allowed today. Hrgovic pummeling away at Zhang who shuffles back and resets, not throwing back at all. He gets in one good punch late but clear round for Hrgovic 10-9; 96-93
- Round Eleven: Zhang's big lunge one minute in doesn't land, and that might be all he tries this round. Otherwise Hrgovic is pounding away. He's getting frustrated clearly, and he jumps in and hooks Zhang's neck before the re steps in. Now Zhang is trying to have another big moment but it's not quite as big as the other two. Hrgovic is staying away for a bit but moves back in to unload. Zhang has gone down from an apparent slip at the end of the round. 10-10; Hrgovic 106-103
- Round Twelve: Hrgovic wants the stoppage this round and is putting everything into it. Zhang's face is looking puffy but he's staying upright. Now Hrgovic is slowing down to try to pick his shots and he has Zhang in the corner who clinches. Zhang's lack of firing back has hurt him the whole fight. He almost repeats the ear-hook from round one but it misses. Huge body shot by Hrgovic. Zhang clinches again. 30 seconds left and Hrgovic wants to unload. Zhang runs away at the end to avoid any possibility of KO. Hrgovic 10-9; Hrgovic 116-112
From my perspective it's a pretty clear Hrgovic win, but other "scorecards" I've seen around the web suggest a closer result, so who knows. The early rounds for Hrgovic might have gone to Zhang which would make it close, but from the middle on he really only clearly won two rounds.
The judges say: 115-112, 115-112, 114-113 for Hrgovic
A bit closer than my score but all the same, a close but clear win for Hrgovic. But something tells me that no one will be shaking in their boots in fear of Hrgovic after this fight; he's far too easy to hit and got himself in trouble on three separate occasions. Many top fighters might have ducked him, but I doubt that will be such a big problem in the future. And neither Joshua or Usyk looks to have that much to worry about if he's their next foe.
As for Zhang? He loses his perfect record and really, his career management is to blame. He waited until age 37 for a true step-up fight, wasting several years fighting nobodies even before the pandemic. He could have had a much better career and probably deserved it; now he looks too old and slow to make an impact, even if he was impressive at times against Hrgovic and certainly durable.
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