A few days removed from the breaking announcement from Ariel Helwani that Francis Ngannou’s next fight will be another boxing match, this time against one of the sport’s biggest stars, Anthony Joshua. The two-time heavyweight champion’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, spoke with Helwani on ‘The MMA Hour’ to discuss the fight and in particular, Ngannou’s chances against the Olympic gold medallist.
The fight between Joshua and Ngannou is expected to take place in March, and although the former will go into the contest as the huge betting favorite, Ngannou presents a lot of risk. As Hearn pointed out, the MMA champion has a professional boxing record of 0-1. A defeat would be catastrophic for Anthony Joshua and effectively end any hopes of regaining a world title, while a victory would keep them in the frame. Joshua’s promoter (as you’d expect) is predicting a relatively straightforward night for his fighter.
”I really believe AJ knocks him out, but he (Ngannou) is a dangerous fight, you know? This guy is a big lump that can really punch, and I think he has no fear, which makes him dangerous. I just feel that AJ is in a great place, and I expect him to pick him apart and knock him out.”
Helwani asked Hearn if it was challenging to convince Anthony Joshua to accept the Ngannou fight, given that he has made his aspirations to become a three-time world heavyweight champion publicly known. Hearn said that before Tyson Fury’s fight with Ngannou, a fight looked unlikely for that reason. Given how impressive the former UFC heavyweight champion looked in his professional boxing debut, along with the fact that Deontay Wilder surprisingly lost against Joseph Parker, the fight makes a lot more sense now.
The fight date is yet to be announced, although the location has been confirmed to be Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a locality now synonymous with elite boxing. A press conference is scheduled for Monday, January 15th, in London, UK, where more details of the fight will be revealed.
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