David Adeleye Confirms Sparring with Joe Joyce Ahead of Hrgovic Showdown trucc

   

David Adeleye

DAVID Adeleye has called upon the services of Joe Joyce, the last man to have fought Filip Hrgovic, as he gears up for a sizable leap in levels.

The former British champion will collide with Hrgovic, 18-1 (14 KOs), on August 16, featuring on the undercard of Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Their heavyweight matchup, however, arrived as a somewhat unexpected development, especially given that Adeleye, 14-1 (13 KOs), was widely expected to enter an immediate rematch with Jeamie TKV.

In their first encounter, which took place last April, ‘Big D’ claimed a destructive sixth-round stoppage victory shortly after he floored TKV with a potent left hook.

The shot was landed just moments after the referee called ‘break’, but despite the controversial nature of their dustup, Adeleye has instead opted to take on a drastically different assignment.

 

Headlining the card that Adeleye vs TKV appeared on earlier this year was Hrgovic, who stepped in on relatively late notice to face Joyce, 16-4 (15 KOs).

Prior to that, the Croatian had fallen short against former world champion Daniel Dubois, his eighth-round stoppage defeat exposing a series of defensive vulnerabilities.

Against Joyce, too, the 33-year-old was forced to trudge through a string of torrid moments, before ultimately emerging from their scrappy affair with a unanimous decision victory.

Hoping to benefit from Joyce’s first-hand experience, meanwhile, is Adeleye, who has recruited ‘The Juggernaut’ as one of his main sparring partners for this camp.

In terms of his body dimensions, the 39-year-old appears to be an obvious choice, but aside from that, he should also introduce Adeleye to several nuggets of advice.

“I thought [Hrgovic] looked good [against Joyce],” Adeleye told Boxing News. “I’ve been sparring Joe Joyce for this camp, actually, so there’s a little insight for you.”

When asked to divulge what he gained from those sparring sessions, the 28-year-old simply replied: “It’s been good, but that needs to stay between me and Joe.”