Heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic proved his resilience in Riyadh as he overcame a gruesome cut and a spirited challenge from Britain’s David Adeleye to claim a unanimous decision victory and retain his WBO International title.

The Croatian, nicknamed El Animal, entered the ring aiming to solidify his place in the heavyweight top ten after his April win over Joe Joyce. Adeleye, meanwhile, was attempting to graduate from domestic level to the world stage, bringing with him heavy hands and youthful ambition.

The drama began early. In the second round, Adeleye opened a savage wound above Hrgovic’s right eye with a sharp left hand. Blood poured as the ringside doctor inspected the injury, but trainer Abel Sanchez worked frantically to keep his charge in the fight. Instead of unravelling, Hrgovic pressed forward, pumping out his jab and clubbing Adeleye to the body.

Adeleye responded with grit, landing clean hooks in the third and enjoying moments of success in the middle rounds. The Londoner’s trainer Adam Booth urged him to chase a stoppage, knowing the cards were slipping away. But Hrgovic’s experience and volume punching were beginning to tell. By the halfway stage, the Croatian was comfortably dictating the tempo, throwing nearly three times as many punches as his rival.

The contest ignited spectacularly in round eight. A booming right hand from Hrgovic floored Adeleye, sending shockwaves through the ANB Arena. Yet the Briton refused to wilt. Rising to his feet, he hurt Hrgovic with a furious rally, rocking the favourite and forcing the crowd to its feet in what will be remembered as one of the rounds of the year.

That wild exchange proved Adeleye’s final stand. Hrgovic steadied himself in the closing rounds, boxing with discipline and using his reach to blunt Adeleye’s attacks. When the scorecards were read—98-91, 99-90, 99-90—the verdict was clear.

For Hrgovic, now 19-1 (14 KOs), the win cements his revival after the setback against Daniel Dubois last year and keeps alive hopes of a crack at world honours. Possible match-ups with the winner of Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte, or even a rematch with Dubois, are already being discussed.

Adeleye, who falls to 14-2 (13 KOs), left Saudi Arabia with his reputation enhanced despite defeat. His courage, recovery from a knockdown, and ability to hurt a seasoned contender suggest he remains a player in the division’s future.

In the end, though, it was Hrgovic’s iron will and relentless pressure that carried the night in a brutal, bloody war.

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Manchester’s Co-Op Live Arena roared on 5 April 2025 as David Adeleye claimed the vacant British heavyweight title with a dramatic sixth-round stoppage of Jeamie Tshikeva (TKV). The contest, sanctioned by the British Boxing Board of Control and promoted by Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions in association with BOXXER, brought two London rivals together for the coveted Lonsdale Belt.

The tale of the tape showed contrast. Adeleye, from Ladbroke Grove, scaled 239 lbs and entered with a record of 13 victories, 12 by knockout, against one defeat. Tshikeva, from Tottenham, weighed 254 lbs and carried the IBO International title into the ring with an eight-win ledger, five coming inside the distance, and also one defeat.

From the opening bell, Tshikeva sought to establish his jab and use his extra weight to dictate position. The early rounds saw him move well and frustrate Adeleye, who was forced to wait for his chance. Tshikeva’s crouching stance and dipping movement kept him elusive, and his jab to head and body earned him some success with the judges. At times Adeleye looked impatient, swinging wildly and missing, while Tshikeva’s steadier output gave the impression of a man in control.

But Adeleye’s reputation is built on power, and in the fifth his intent sharpened. Planting his feet, he began to let the right hand go, finding the target and slowing Tshikeva’s movement. The breakthrough came in the sixth, when a blistering left hook crashed through. Tshikeva reeled backwards, clearly dazed, and another heavy shot sent him down. Rising unsteadily, he looked towards his corner, legs betraying him. Referee Ron Kearney gave him a chance to continue, but Adeleye pounced, landing again with authority. With Tshikeva in no condition to defend himself, the referee waved it off at 55 seconds of the round.

The conclusion was not without debate. Tshikeva’s team argued that the referee’s intervention during a clinch, moments before the decisive blow, had unsettled their fighter. In the red corner, trainer Barry Smith voiced his protests, while Ben Davison shook his head in disbelief. Nevertheless, the result stood: David Adeleye, the new British heavyweight champion by technical knockout.

The official attendance witnessed history as Adeleye lifted the venerable Lonsdale Belt, fulfilling a long-stated ambition. For Tshikeva, who had boxed effectively through the first four rounds, the defeat was a bitter pill, though his bravery in rising after heavy knockdowns drew respect.

The Co-Op Live crowd will long remember the night when two proud London heavyweights clashed, and David Adeleye’s power finally settled a tense and fiery contest.

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Fabio Wardley delivered a commanding and clinical performance in Riyadh as he halted David Adeleye in the seventh round to retain his British heavyweight crown and collect the vacant Commonwealth title, the WBO European strap and the WBA Intercontinental belt. Their clash on the undercard of the high-profile Fury–Ngannou event placed two unbeaten punchers centre stage, and the Ipswich fighter rose to the moment with authority.

The tension between the pair had simmered all week and carried into the opening exchanges. Adeleye attempted to set the tone early, stabbing out a sharp jab which snapped Wardley’s head back. For a moment the Londoner looked the quicker of the two, scoring with single shots that briefly unsettled the champion. But Wardley, composed and patient, began reading the distance, picking his moments, and quietly adjusting the rhythm of the fight.

By the end of the second round, Wardley’s jab — initially overshadowed by Adeleye’s fast lead — began to establish itself. He worked his way in behind a tighter guard, mixing his approach with feints, body shots, and short bursts of two and three punches. Adeleye remained dangerous with wide counters and sudden hooks, yet his accuracy waned as Wardley’s timing improved.

The third and fourth rounds marked a shift. Wardley found success with straight shots down the centre and punished Adeleye whenever the Londoner lingered too long in range. One right hand in the third forced Adeleye to momentarily scramble for balance, and although the challenger returned fire with spirited hooks, it was Wardley who dictated the terms. The champion’s footwork and measured pressure prevented Adeleye from settling into any kind of rhythm.

Adeleye grew increasingly ragged during the middle sessions. His jab, so vital early on, faded dramatically. Meanwhile Wardley kept fencing forward, stepping Adeleye backwards and forcing him to fight off the ropes. The sixth round in particular showcased the difference in composure. Wardley landed stiff, scoring jabs and threaded in a clean right hand that opened a cut in Adeleye’s mouth. The challenger rallied with defiant gestures, but the momentum was swinging hard against him.

Entering the seventh — a round neither man had ever reached — Wardley looked the fresher, more disciplined operator. Adeleye tried to advance with heavier shots, but Wardley’s control of distance and sharp counterwork repeatedly halted him. Then came the decisive moment: as they separated from a clinch, Adeleye momentarily lost concentration and Wardley pounced with a crisp combination. A left hook sent Adeleye to the canvas, and though he rose quickly, his legs betrayed the damage.

Sensing the finish, Wardley unleashed a sustained barrage. Adeleye bravely attempted to fire back, but the unanswered stream of punches compelled referee John Latham to step in at 2:43 of the seventh round. Adeleye protested the stoppage fiercely, yet the intervention was timely; he had taken heavy punishment and had not recovered from the knockdown.

With the victory, Fabio Wardley cements his reputation as one of Britain’s most destructive rising heavyweights, while David Adeleye departs with credit for his courage and early success.

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