Filip Hrgovic stops Dave Allen in 3rd as corner throws in towel

Filip Hrgovic ended Dave Allen’s hometown main event in Doncaster on May 16 with a third-round stoppage after Allen’s corner threw in the towel at Eco-Power Stadium. Sky Sports and DAZN reported that Allen was under sustained pressure from the opening round and that trainer Jamie Moore, along with Nigel Travis, halted the fight during the third. The result gave Hrgovic a quick heavyweight win in a bout listed by BoxRec for the vacant IBF Inter-Continental heavyweight belt. Allen, fighting in front of a home crowd, was repeatedly caught by Hrgovic’s straight shots before the stoppage came. (skysports.com) ### How did the stoppage happen so quickly? Hrgovic took control early with long right hands and straight punches that found Allen cleanly in the first round, according to Sky Sports. The Croatian kept Allen at range, drove him back to the ropes and continued landing through the second and into the third. (skysports.com) DAZN reported that Allen slipped to the canvas after a wide swing of his own in the third round, then got back up, but his posture and guard had begun to fade under pressure. With roughly half a minute left in the round, Allen’s team threw in the towel from ringside. (skysports.com) ### Who made the decision to pull Allen out? Sky Sports named Jamie Moore and Nigel Travis as the men who stopped the contest from Allen’s corner in the third round. The Independent also reported that Moore threw in the towel as the bout turned one-sided. (dazn.com) Allen backed the decision afterward. “If Jamie and Nige say enough’s enough, enough’s enough,” he said, according to Sky Sports. He also thanked his team for “looking after” him after the stoppage. ### What did Hrgovic say after beating Allen? (skysports.com) Hrgovic told Sky Sports he had gone after an early finish once he saw openings. “I started fast because I saw I was connecting,” he said. “He was very open from the beginning so I wanted to finish him fast to make a statement.” (skysports.com) Doncaster drew strong support for Allen, and Hrgovic acknowledged the setting after the fight. “Sorry guys, I know I’m not the favourite guy round here,” he said, before adding that he was “moving forward to becoming heavyweight champion of the world,” Sky Sports reported. (skysports.com) ### What does the result do for Allen? Allen told the crowd he did not plan to retire immediately after the defeat. Sky Sports reported that he said he wanted “a few more fights” and described himself as “a good fighter but I’m not a great fighter,” while thanking supporters who stayed after the stoppage. (skysports.com) The bout was another high-profile homecoming appearance for Allen, but the ending was abrupt. DAZN described the night as a major local occasion even as the fight itself became one-sided within three rounds. ### Is Moses Itauma really next for Hrgovic? (skysports.com) Hrgovic said after the fight that he was open to facing Moses Itauma next and told Sky Sports, “I want to fight with anyone in the division, Moses, anyone.” He added that, if he stayed healthy, he could be ready again in August. (dazn.com) George Warren of Queensberry Promotions went further, telling Sky Sports that an Itauma fight was already one of the options built into Hrgovic’s deal when he re-signed with the promoter. “That fight’s there, it’s done,” Warren said, according to the report. (skysports.com) BoxRec listed the Doncaster card under Frank Warren promotion and DAZN distribution, and Sky Sports said attention turned immediately after the stoppage to whether Hrgovic and Itauma could meet in August. (boxrec.com) (skysports.com)