Filip Hrgovic overcame early adversity to earn one of the best wins of his career, dropping David Adeleye once en route to a unanimous decision victory to retain his secondary WBO heavyweight title.

Hrgovic (19-1, 14 KOs) won 98-91 on judge Marco Moscadelli’s scorecard and 99-90 on Enrico Licini and Leszek Jankowiak’s scorecards. Hrgovic was ranked No. 2 by the WBO, No. 5 by the WBA, No. 6 by the WBC and No. 12 by the IBF heading into the high-stakes heavyweight clash.

Hrgovic was largely in control of the fight and broke through in the first minute of the eighth round when he landed a chopping straight right hand that sent Adeleye to the canvas.

The knockdown heightened the urgency for Adeleye and he came storming back and landed a series of blows that temporarily turned the tide in his favor in the latter stages of the round. That proved to be Adeleye’s last wind, though, as Hrgovic retook control in the final moments of one of the better rounds this year and coasted to the final bell.

Hrgovic’s pressure and volume paved the way to victory. The Croatian heavyweight consistently put Adeleye (14-2, 13 KOs) on the ropes and connected with power shots consistently. Adeleye had success when he let his hands go, but those moments were few and far between for the British Heavyweight throughout the 10-round bout.

The fight appeared to be on the doorstep of being stopped midway through the second round when Hrgovic got a nasty cut right on his right eyelid from a stabbing jab by Adeleye. Hrgovic was checked by the ringside doctor at the start of the third round, but was allowed to continue.

The cut wasn’t checked for the rest of the fight by the ringside doctor, as Hrgovic’s trainer, Abel Sanchez, was able to keep it under control between rounds.

Hrgovic has now won two straight fights since his stoppage loss to former heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois in June 2024.

Hrgovic outlanded Adelaye 228 to 92 in total punches and 169 to 47 in power shots, per CompuBox.