Hrgović Exclusive: Training Twice a Day
Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgović reveals to Večernji list the details of his preparations for the fight of his career against Moses Itauma on August 29 in London.
Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgović reveals to Večernji list the details of his preparations for the fight of his career against Moses Itauma on August 29 in London.
Filip Hrgović, former European champion and Olympic bronze medalist, will become only the sixth Croatian in history to fight for the world heavyweight title in professional boxing. Before him, this opportunity was given to Parlov, Beneš, Šobot, Mavrović, and Drviš. His opponent on August 29 at the O2 Arena in London will be the young Briton Moses Itauma, and Hrgović, in an exclusive interview with Večernji list, revealed how preparations are going in the Californian town of Big Bear.
The fight for the world title represents a potential turning point in the Croatian heavyweight's career. "Given that it's a fight for the world title, this could be a turning point in my career. A victory would launch me into orbit, put me in a position where I'm the one calling the shots, where I set the terms, where I'm a star of this sport regardless of nationality," Hrgović stated. He added that a triumph would bring him a completely different status because it would be achieved against a fighter many see as a future world champion.
Hrgović is preparing for the most important fight of his career in Big Bear, a town in California situated at 2,100 meters above sea level, 160 kilometers from Los Angeles. "In America, inhabited places at that altitude are rare. As an athlete, you have no distractions here. There's not much to do, but you have everything you need," Hrgović described his training location.
His typical day starts at six in the morning. After coffee, around 7:30, he goes for a run of six to ten kilometers, totaling about fifty kilometers a week. The main training session begins at 3 PM and lasts three hours. "Is it monotonous? Yes, but it's been like this for 20 years, and sometimes I've had enough of this routine, but that's the job. There's no room for complaining here," Hrgović is honest. Although daytime temperatures reach 30 degrees, the fresh mornings and nights are ideal for training.
The training process is led by coach Abel Sanchez, and Hrgović emphasizes that the program is comprehensive. "There's a lot of running and conditioning, but also a lot of boxing. For each fight, the sparring partners are different, and the tactics are different," he said. Since Itauma is a southpaw, all sparring partners are left-handed. Among them are Croatian heavyweight Luka Pratljačić and Ahmed Krnjić, and a boxer from New York is also arriving. Hrgović admits it was challenging to find left-handed sparring partners because there are fewer of them, and some are injured or have their own preparations.
In Big Bear, his company is also his nephew Antonio, his sister's son, who is also involved in boxing. "He's only had five fights so far, he's a beginner, but he wants to box," says Hrgović. Additionally, he has a personal chef, and he rented a house where, as he says, he sunbathes on the terrace.
Although most experts and fans don't see Hrgović as the winner, it doesn't bother him. "I don't care. Besides, predictions won't help him or me. Everything will be seen on August 29 in the ring of the O2 Arena in London," he said. Itauma has stopped 11 of his 14 opponents in the first two rounds, and only against Jermain Franklin did he go into the fifth round, which raises questions about his endurance in the later rounds.
Hrgović believes in his advantage. "Given that I have more fights under my belt, I should have the advantage there, but we'll see how the fight unfolds. Maybe I'll cause him problems right from the start," he said. He also commented on his approach to tactics, admitting he doesn't like to overanalyze opponents through video footage. "When someone fills my head with too much tactics, I get lost and lose the feel for the fight, which is the most important thing."
In the interview, he also revealed the spiritual dimension of his preparations. Every Sunday he goes to Mass, and he found a church in the Californian hills, right across from the house he rented. "Jesus said, 'Whoever takes my body remains in me, and I in him.' It means a lot to me to receive the body of Christ, to stay connected in the sacrament with God," Hrgović shared, adding that if there weren't a church nearby, he would go to the nearest inhabited place that has one.
Hrgović got his title opportunity after Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk vacated all his belts. Hrgović doesn't believe he did it just because of the new champions. "There's some other reason behind his decision. The man has already achieved everything and obviously wants to have one more fight, which he plans to cash in on well," he said. He also commented on Usyk's contradictory statements recently and his fight with kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, concluding: "After earning $200 million, maybe he got a bit lost in those plans."
