Anthony Joshua said he has 'absolutely no interest at all' in fighting Francis Ngannou, wants to focus on championship fights
British boxing star Anthony Joshua has no interest in a crossover boxing match against Francis Ngannou. Crossover fights between MMA fighters and boxers have little to no impact on competitive progress in the respective sports. However, they are a lucrative option for high-profile fighters in terms of commercial gains, attracting a much larger fan base.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is booked to fight WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury on October 28. ‘Predator’ has pursued a fight against high-profile boxers like Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, and 'AJ' for a while. It was also one of the reasons that contributed to his UFC exit. However, Joshua reportedly turned down the fight when the door was still open for him to take it.
talkSPORT boxing editor Michael Benson recently posted the news on his Twitter. According to Benson, Joshua told boxing promoter Eddie Hearn that he is focused on becoming the boxing world champion again and has no interest in fighting Francis Ngannou.
Eddie Hearn on what Anthony Joshua told him when they discussed a potential Francis Ngannou fight before Tyson Fury got it: “He went, 'Absolutely no interest at all, I wanna become heavyweight world champion again, I've got no interest in fighting Francis Ngannou.'” [@talkSPORT]
“Eddie Hearn on what Anthony Joshua told him when they discussed a potential Francis Ngannou fight before Tyson Fury got it: “He went, 'Absolutely no interest at all, I wanna become heavyweight world champion again, I've got no interest in fighting Francis Ngannou.'” [@talkSPORT],” Michael Benson tweeted.
Anthony Joshua is on a mission to regain the heavyweight title
Anthony Joshua is working hard for his upcoming rematch against fellow British fighter Dillian Whyte on August 12. The former champion, 33, has already lost to champion Oleksandr Usyk twice and his path to heavyweight gold likely crosses with Tyson Fury.
According to promoter Eddie Hearn, Joshua will fight Deontay Wilder if he is able to defeat Whyte on August 12. Following this, he wants to challenge Tyson Fury.
“Everybody wants to see it [Joshua vs Fury]," said Hearn. "But on August 12, Joshua will fight Dillian Whyte on design. After that, he will fight Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia, and then after that, it has to be Tyson Fury,” Eddie Hearn said on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
While AJ is favored to get past Dillian Whyte given how their first meeting went, a loss could mean the end of the road for him according to Hall of Famer Carl Froch. The retired boxer recently shared his opinion about Joshua vs Whyte on his YouTube channel and said:
“So I don’t think either of these fighters, Anthony Joshua or Dillian Whyte, are gonna want to continue fighting at a lower level. Especially not Anthony Joshua. This is a must-win fight for Anthony Joshua, and I think if he does lose if I’m honest, I think he should retire. I really do. Because it’ll mean his heart’s not in it.”
Joshua and his team will look forward to following the path they have set for reclaiming the title. But negotiations can fall apart quickly in boxing as witnessed so many times. It will be interesting to see how things unfold in the coming months.