Top heavyweight prospect Filip Hrgovic didn’t have the prettiest performance today in Saudi Arabia, but he knocked veteran Eric Molina out in the third round to stay unbeaten and keep moving up the ladder.
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It was a messy fight all around, with Molina (27-6, 19 KO) complaining about shots to the back of the head from the first round on, and there were shots to the back of the head, but it was the 37-year-old Molina bending over and dipping his head that caused those shots. They weren’t intentional, they were just what happened with Hrgovic (10-0, 8 KO) throwing chopping rights and Molina bending over, often due to good body shots from the 27-year-old Croatian.
Molina was down late in the first round, but referee Ian John Lewis didn’t rule it a knockdown. The same thing happened early in the second with Molina stumbling around and falling, but Molina was forced to clearly take a knee after a body shot later in the second. Another chopping right to the side (or maybe back, to be fair) of the head put Molina down again late in the third, and he was counted out by Lewis.
Hrgovic is a serious prospect at heavyweight, 6’6” with a good amateur background, has skills and power, and is someone everyone needs to be aware of in this division as we head into 2020.
“Anything can happen,” Hrgovic said. “I can be a world champion in the next few fights. I may never become world champion. This is boxing, it’s a very dangerous sport. But I am very confident in my skills and my team.”