Hrgovic, who faces Allen at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster this weekend, suddenly looked a lot more engaged after hearing some of the chants and predictions coming from Allen before the fight.
Asked what fans should expect, Hrgovic predicted a knockout.
“A big knockout,” Hrgovic told DAZN.
The Croatian heavyweight then responded to a song circulating in Allen’s camp predicting a victory over him. Hrgovic either misunderstood the lyrics or simply refused to take them seriously.
“Just look at the way he looks, the way he dresses. He says, ‘Hrgovic in seven rounds.’ That means I win in seven rounds, right? Yes, that’s how I see it.”
As soon as the part about Allen wanting to “kick in” his head was relayed to him, the smile disappeared.
“That’s why I’m getting extra strong. I’m destroying this guy Saturday,” Hrgovic said. “I’m ruining your party, man.”
Allen enters the fight as the underdog but has spent the week embracing the role of hometown spoiler. He repeatedly pointed to Hrgovic’s knockout loss to Daniel Dubois as proof that the Croatian can break down under pressure.
The crowd inside the public workout clearly sided with Allen throughout the entire exchange, which added to the hostile atmosphere once Hrgovic began to respond. What started as a relaxed media appearance quickly turned into one of the more tense moments of fighting.
Hrgovic mostly handled the fight like a mismatch. Wednesday’s altercation finally dragged some emotion out of him.
