British Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn is one of the leading names in the sport today, representing champion fighters through Matchroom Sport like Anthony Joshua, Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin, Oleksandr Usyk, and Vasyl Lomachenko. With former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou abruptly leaving the UFC and stepping into the world of boxing, there's no surprise that Hearn has had his eyes on the former “Baddest Man on the Planet.”
A frequent guest on Ariel Helwani's MMA Hour, Hearn spoke about his first time having dinner with Francis Ngannou and was “gobsmacked” by the journey he went through to escape Africa and get to where he is today. Hearn said, “I mean, how this isn't a film, I have no idea. Unbelievable.”
Ariel tells Eddie Hearn that his biggest takeaway from Anthony Joshua’s performance this weekend was that…
“Francis Ngannou can beat this guy. This isn’t the craziest thought.”
Eddie Hearn responds…@arielhelwani / @EddieHearn #TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/0drf0CMplv
— AFeldmanMMA (@afeldMMA) April 3, 2023
With Anthony Joshua defeating Jermaine Franklin on April 1st, 2023 by unanimous decision, it opens up the door for a possible super-fight between the two combat sports giants. With Joshua eyeing the possible Tyson Fury fight at the end of 2023, Eddie Hearn has made it clear that he wants his fighter to stay active up until then. With Ngannou still a free agent, he has every opportunity to sign for a big fight so long as he is healthy enough to do so and can find a dollar amount that is comfortable with him.
Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn would ‘love to do something’ with Francis Ngannou https://t.co/r8GxhqqUxp pic.twitter.com/Bq4SlHjaCF
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) April 17, 2023
“I found him fascinating. Lovely guy, lovely guy, and I'd love to do something.”
Hearn believes that Francis Ngannou wouldn't have an easy time fighting anyone within the top 20 heavyweights in the world, but realizes that his one-punch knockout power could make him competitive in any combat sport he takes part in. With Ngannou setting such a high price tag on himself, there's no doubt that his first venture into professional boxing will have to be a huge fight with a massive payday. Seeing Ngannou take on Anthony Joshua may not be as farfetched as it was a few months ago. It would be fascinating to see how Ngannou would fare against one of the best boxers in the sport he fell in love with as a youth.
Do you want to see Francis Ngannou in the ring against Anthony Joshua?
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