Hrgović Deserves to Defend World Title in Croatia, Says Respected Boxing Manager

Keith Conolly said Filip Hrgović’s world-title victory was so unlikely that it resembled a film script, not a conventional boxing match.

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I cannot be prouder than I am today. I have watched boxing since I was seven and worked in boxing for almost 20 years, but I have never seen anything like this.

Hrgović’s American manager said he had never seen anything like the Croatian heavyweight’s performance. Hrgović endured six difficult rounds against Itauma, whom Conolly considered faster and more skilled, then began to turn the fight after Itauma appeared to falter in the seventh.

Conolly credited trainer Abel Sanchez with preparing Hrgović well. The boxer entered the fight five and a half kilograms lighter than in his previous bout, a condition Conolly said helped him survive Itauma’s attacks. He also praised Hrgović’s chin and determination, saying those qualities made the difference when technical advantages appeared to favor his opponent.

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This really was like a film. If you wrote such a fight as a movie script, people would dismiss it.

The manager said he had followed Hrgović for years and worried about cuts around his eyebrows, which had affected earlier fights. Hrgović suffered one cut in this bout, but Conolly said it was less serious than previous injuries. He also connected the victory emotionally to the deaths of both men’s fathers, saying Hrgović’s father died several years ago and his own father died three weeks earlier.

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Filip has the toughest chin and the biggest heart in boxing today.

Conolly said he had spoken with promoter Frank Warren about staging Hrgović’s defense against Frank Sanchez in Croatia. He argued that the new champion deserved to bring the fight home.

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I told him it would be good for the title defense against Frank Sanchez to take place in Croatia.