Heavyweight Filip Hrgovic (18-1, 14 KOs) won a grueling 10-round unanimous decision over Joe Joyce (16-4, 15 KOs) by a much tougher-than-expected fight on Saturday night at the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
Hrgovic looked exhausted and was heading towards defeat going into the second half of the contest, but he came on strong in the final three rounds, landing heavy right hands against Joyce to get the victory. However, the nonstop pressure from ‘The Juggernaut’ Joyce gave Hrgovic fits.
The scores were 97-93, 96-95, and 98-92. From the seventh round on, Hrgovic rested with his back against the ropes, using them to support his weary legs. He couldn’t fight Joyce in the center of the ring because he was too tired and taking clubbing shots from the more energetic 39-year-old.
Tonight’s Results
Heavyweight David Adeleye took advantage of the referee yelling “Break” to nail a defenseless Jeamie Tshikeva with a classic cheap shot left hook to drop him in the sixth round. After the badly hurt Tshikeva got back up, Adeleye finished him off with a flurry to knock him down a second time. The referee then halted the fight. With the win, Adeleye captured the vacant British title. It’s not the ideal way to win a title, but if the referee blows the call, what can you do?
Jack Rafferty smashes Cory O’Regan in the 5th—TKO, towel in, job done.
Rafferty came in like a wrecking ball. Busted O’Regan’s nose wide open with a right hand that had bad intentions. Blood everywhere. Then he went to work—body shots folding O’Regan in half, ripping the fight out of him bit by bit. Hooks crashing in close, left hand digging deep to the ribs, and O’Regan just couldn’t catch a break.
Still, O’Regan refused to go, even as the shots kept hammering him. But Rafferty wasn’t letting up. Right to the body, right to the head, then a savage flurry to finish the job. Corner had no choice—towel in before it got ugly. Ruthless from Rafferty.
Delicious Orie kicks off his pro career with a clean sweep on the cards, taking every round against Milos Veletic (40-36). It wasn’t flashy, but it was solid—Orie stuck to the basics, pumping out that 1-2 nonstop. Veletic started reading it by the second, slipping and stepping back from the right hand, but Orie’s size, control, and steady output kept him in charge throughout.
No real drama, no threat, just a big man doing the fundamentals and walking out with a clear win. First one in the bag. Job done.
Khaleel Majid walks away with a razor-thin unanimous decision over Alex Murphy (97-94, 96-94, 96-95) after ten hard rounds. This wasn’t one-sided—both came to fight, both had moments—but Majid’s grit in the final round sealed the deal.
He emptied the tank in the tenth, landing sharp rights to the body and head, forcing Murphy onto the back foot for the first time all night. Murphy, who’d held his own until then, started to unravel—got cut, started missing, and couldn’t match Majid’s pace. Crowd loved it. Blood, clean shots, and non-stop action down the stretch. Majid earned this one the hard way.
Royston Barney-Smith barely broke a sweat in his featherweight fight with Cesar Ignacio Paredes — shut him out 80-72 on points. Looked like a sparring session at times. Paredes spent most of the night chasing shadows while Royston just racked up rounds like it was target practice.
Mark Chamberlain shut out Miguel Angel Scaringi in their super lightweight bout, winning 80-72 on points.
Nelson Birchall stopped Rodrigo Matias Areco in the first round of their welterweight fight via TKO.
Ramtin Musah took a 40-36 points win over Robbie Chapman in the light heavyweight division.
Louis Szeto edged Nabil Ahmed 38-37 on points in a close super bantamweight scrap.
Alfie Middlemiss cruised to a 40-36 decision over Alexander Morales in their featherweight bout.
Heavyweights Joe Joyce and Filip Hrgovic will meet tonight in what many see as the last chance saloon for both in a 10-rounder, with the start time of the event at 2 pm ET / 11 am PT and 7 pm BST, live on DAZN.
Olympic medalists Hrgovic (17-1, 14 KOs) and Joyce (16-3, 15 KOs) need a win to stay in the race for a world title shot. Both are coming off terrible defeats in which they were dominated. Joyce’s career situation is worse than Hrgovic’s, losing three of his last four fights.