Filip Hrgovic calls heavyweight champions 'fake', says Anthony Joshua 'shouldn't be fighting anymore'

IBF heavyweight champion Filip Hrgovic labelled his fellow titleholders "fake champions" and said Anthony Joshua should no longer be fighting during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show on Wednesday, October 21. The Croatian also repeated his wish for a rematch with WBO champion Daniel Dubois, the only man to beat him, and said he believes he would "destroy" him.

'They're all fake champions'

Hrgovic, who won the vacant IBF title by stopping Moses Itauma at London's O2 Arena on August 29, did not hold back when asked about the state of the division.

"I feel they're all fake champions right now," Hrgovic said, in a clip posted by Helwani. "Dubois is a fake champion because he beat fake champion Fabio Wardley. Fabio Wardley shouldn't have won against Parker. He was losing the fight, and I think it was a big robbery. When you beat a fake champion, you're a fake champion as well."

He extended the criticism to the WBC and WBA titleholders. "Agit Kabayel received his belt without fighting. I also think he's a fake champion. And this Murat Gassiev is also a fake champion. He beat nobody and received his belt without fighting."

When referee Howard Foster stopped Wardley vs Joseph Parker in the 11th round, Parker was ahead on two of the three scorecards (98-92, 96-94) with the third level at 95-95, according to the Mirror. Oleksandr Usyk relinquished three sanctioning body belts in June, BoxingScene reported. Kabayel defends the WBC title against Nelson Hysa in Germany on November 28.

'He's just not there, man'

Hrgovic went further on Joshua than he had earlier this month, when he told The Stomping Ground that Joshua should retire after his December 11 fight with Tyson Fury, according to Boxing News. This time he suggested Joshua should not be fighting at all.

"When I saw that last fight, I felt sorry for him because before the fight, he said he shut all his businesses to focus on boxing. He changed a coach for the 20th time. He started to work with Usyk's team. He did everything he could do," Hrgovic said. "And then he comes to the fight with a journeyman, and he goes down in 10 seconds. I couldn't believe it. I felt sorry for him, and I think he shouldn't be fighting anymore... He's just not there, man."

Joshua was last in action on July 25 in Jeddah, where he was knocked down twice in the first round by Kristian Prenga, the first time after about 20 seconds, before stopping the Albanian in round two, BBC Sport reported. Fury vs Joshua takes place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and streams on Netflix.

Dubois rematch and Itauma

Hrgovic again said the Dubois rematch is the fight he wants most. "I was sick, I was injured, I was cut on both eyes, he was headbutting me. I underestimated him," he said of their June 2024 fight. "Imagine if I'm healthy, concentrated and focused. I think I will just destroy him." No rematch has been agreed, and his manager Keith Connolly told BoxingScene this week that Hrgovic will most probably defend first against mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez in Croatia.

Hrgovic called Itauma "maybe the best who I fought" but rejected the idea that the 21-year-old simply gassed out. "He got tired because of my performance, because of shots he received, and because of my toughness," he said, though he said Itauma is not the biggest puncher he has faced: "I received harder punches from Dubois, from Adeleye, from Zhang."

He also said Turki Alalshikh had floated a fight with Rico Verhoeven for the Fury vs Joshua card. "Turki mentioned that he wanted to make that fight, but he just mentioned that and I never heard back," Hrgovic said, in a clip shared from the show.

"Finally, you guys realize I'm a new superstar," Hrgovic added. "Now finally I've got the attention that I wanted and needed."