Joe Joyce was defeated by Philip Fulgovic’s unanimous decision when he returned to the Manchester ring on Saturday.
Britt, 39, who fought for the first time since his defeat to Derek Chisora in July 2024, grew dominantly by HRGOVIC, scoring 97-93, 96-95 and 98-92, endorsing the judges after the 10th round.
Joyce was originally intended to fight Dillian White in all British events, but with the finger injuries that the latter suffered, hrgovic took a step forward with a recent notification.
The 32-year-old Croatian has not fought since his defeat to Daniel Dubois in June. His records are read 18-1 after losing Joyce.
After now four losses in his final five fights Joyce said, he was asked if he was considering retirement.
“He’s a great fighter. He’s been doing it for a long time. We can do it again.”
Meanwhile, Hrgovic said he is looking at a rematch with Dubois.
“This guy beat DuBois and I beat him, so I want a rematch with Daniel DuBois,” he said.
“I really got worse in my last fight, but congratulations to him. He did a great job in his last fight. Of course, I’d like to have a rematch with him one day.
“”Thank you to Joe for this opportunity. I came in right away, I was completely unprepared. I’m so glad to be back and look forward to the big battles in the future.
“This guy is like steel and I couldn’t believe he took every shot. He’s a tough guy, a beast, very strong.”
The fight began in an explosive way as Hrgovic landed several large shots on top, but a head collision cut the Croatians off the top of their left eye.
Brad penetrated hrgovic’s face, which gave Joyce confidence in the trade, but his own right eye bulged in the fourth round.
SlugFest continues, with Joyce having his eighth success. However, Joyce was injured by a big left hook at the end of the round, and the ninth attack trudged Britton’s knee.
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