Hearn: Joshua Could Face Francis Ngannou

Anthony Joshua could go up against UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou in the boxing ring, according to Eddie Hearn.

Ngannou recently defeated Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight gold at UFC 260, which capped a meteoric rise for the Cameroonian.

Just six years ago, Ngannou was homeless and residing in a Paris car park. Fast forward to spring 2021, and the 34-year-old sits atop the UFC throne.

In the wake of his success at UFC 260, Ngannou set his sights outside the octagon – by claiming he’d love to face Tyson Fury.

The number one ranked heavyweight boxer on Earth, Fury is set to go up against arch rival Anthony Joshua later this year, although a date and venue for their bout have yet to be announced.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Ngannou said comparisons between him and Mike Tyson were fair but that he would prefer to step into the ring with current heavyweights.

“Every time they compare me to Mike Tyson is an honour to me so that I can attach my name to someone like Mike Tyson.

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“I don’t want to fight Mike Tyson, but I would like to fight other heavyweight boxers such as Tyson Fury. Absolutely, I’m open to that.

“Boxing was my primary dream, and I still have the fire and dream inside me. I believe at some point I’m going to take a step.”

When presented with this news on DAZN’s Ak & Barak Show, Matchroom Sports head honcho Eddie Hearn said Ngannou could theoretically square up against one of the fighters on his roster – Anthony Joshua.

“AJ wants to be the best, but he also wants to do different things once he meets his goals – so a fight with Francis Ngannou isn’t impossible.”

However, Hearn thinks a more realistic prospect for the time being is Ngannou potentially going up against Dillian Whyte, himself a former kickboxer.

“We almost had a presser with Dillian Whyte and him [Ngannou], but the UFC shut that down after we taped it. We do have the footage, though.

“I would love to see a double matchup with Ngannou and Dillian Whyte. One in the cage and one out of it. Ditto for [Katie] Taylor and [Amanda] Nunes.”