Adeleye’s Knockout Threat: Trainer Abel Sanchez Details His Concerns For Filip Hrgovic

Trainer Abel Sanchez says he has concerns about the punching power that heavyweight contender David Adeleye possesses for his fighter, Filip Hrgovic, going into their 10-round bout this Saturday, August 16th, in Riyadh.

The 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Hrgovic (18-1, 14 KOs) is fighting for the second time, having been knocked out in the eighth round by Daniel Dubois in 2024.

A Disappointing Confidence Booster

Hrgovic, 33, didn’t look so great in his last fight, needing to battle hard to defeat ‘The Juggernaut’ Joe Joyce by a 10-round unanimous decision on April 5th. That was supposed to have been a confidence builder for Hrgovic, but he almost lost. It’s hard to get much of an ego boost from his performance against the badly slowed Joyce.

Hrgovic-Adeleye are part of the Moses Itauma vs. Dillian Whyte undercard on DAZN PPV this Saturday. The event is priced at $49.99, which has made many boxing fans unhappy, as they don’t view the card as PPV-worthy.

Adeleye (14-1, 13 KOs) was knocked out in the seventh round two years ago when he stepped up to the world-class level and was found out by Fabiel Wardley. Before that, Adeleye had been fighting second-tier opposition. Since that defeat, he’s returned to that level and won his last two fights against no-name opposition.

Abel Sanchez on Adeleye’s Punching Power

“The Fabio [Wardley] fight, I saw, and obviously, he wasn’t the winner there, but he’s a very accomplished young man,” said trainer Abel Sanchez to Secondsout about David Adeleye. “He’s a big puncher, very skilled, very strong. So, we’re looking for a tough fight. It’s not a walkover,” said Sanchez about Filip Hrgovic’s undercard clash against Adeleye this Saturday night in Riyadh.

Adeleye can punch, but he’s still learning. Like Itauma, Adeleye didn’t have much of an amateur career before turning pro after just one fight. So, this is essentially his amateur career now, and why he’s likely to lose on Saturday. Adeleye has got a puncher’s chance of beating Hrgovic, but that’s about it. He doesn’t match up in any other area other than power.

“People might think because of the Fabio fight that he doesn’t belong there. He belongs there. He’s very strong, and he’s got a great team,” said Sanchez about Adeleye. “I know Adam is going to have him ready. So, it’s a matter of us being ready also.”

Hrgovic should end this fight early if he starts quickly and lands some of the same kind of bombs that he hit Dubois with. Surprisingly, Daniel took the shots from Hrgovic that he did because he succumbed to lesser punches from Oleksandr Usyk recently.

Can Hrgovic Handle Adeleye’s Power?

“It concerns everybody. It should concern everybody,” said Abel when asked if he has any worries about Adeleye’s punching power. “You should be aware of it, but in the heavyweight division, one punch can change the outcome so quickly. I would say that 99% of the heavyweights, one punch can change a fight.”

Adeleye has better-than-average power, but his skills are subpar. He doesn’t possess world-class ability yet, and it’s questionable whether he ever will before his career goes down the drain. He started late in boxing and was too old to have an amateur career like most fighters in the sport.

“So, we’ve practiced and we’ve trained. We’ve got a good shot. We’re going to get hit because that’s part of the game. It’s just a matter of not allowing him to get into a rhythm and not allowing him to land that big shot. But he can punch, and so can Filip,” said Sanchez.