Filip Hrgovic Overmatches Radonjic

Heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic traveled to Austria and made his presence felt as he stops Marko Radonjic in Austria after four lopsided rounds.

From the opening bell as the DAZN broadcast lamented, “this fight doesn’t have the look of going the distance” and the way Radonjic looked in the ring, you’d be shocked if it did. Hrgovic was able in the early going just to land one, two combinations that kept him off balance early on. A right hand in the second hand on the button sent him down once he got up to beat the count was sent back down again with another right and it was at this point of the fight, Radonjic cardio and legs weren’t working for him.

All over in Austria! 💥💥@Filip_Hrgovic hands Radonjic his first defeat after the referee waves it off at the beginning of the fourth 😤#HrgovicRadonjic@WassermanBoxing @SauerlandBros pic.twitter.com/o2qnxeEqfZ

— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) September 10, 2021

This fight was a farce and the ref after the 4th knockdown if those who sat around thru this card expecting any miracles in this weren’t going to get it. Radonjic got up for the third round bell but this was all Hrgovic and a referee who was paid by the round as this fight should’ve been long over before it was.

The end of the beatdown by Hrgovic came mercifully after 5 knockdowns as the fighting spirit (or poor referee work) of Radonjic wasn’t enough as the referee stops this before the start of the fourth round.

“It went according to the script ” as DAZN blow by blow man Alex Arthur lamented as Hrgovic was the overwhelming favorite and it showed.

This contest for Hrgovic was an IBF title eliminator and that winner will now be in line to take on Anthony Joshua for an eventual title shot. How soon is when you set your alarm to “a lot later” as the last IBF mandatory defense at heavyweight was the last fight Joshua had in 2020. That fight Joshua stopped challenger Kubrat Pulev in nine rounds after various pandemic delays and postponements.

The biggest takeaway from this fight was that Hrgovic was levels better than the undefeated unknown in Radonjic and let’s hope the next time out they find someone with a little more resistance for Hrgovic next time out.