Eddie Hearn points to Tyson Fury’s scare against Francis Ngannou as reason why Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua is far from done deal
Francis Ngannou almost caused the biggest upset in the history of competitive sport when he faced off against Tyson Fury in October.
He made his professional boxing debut against the consensus best heavyweight on the planet, and gave the WBC champion what he described as "his toughest fight in 10 years."
'The Gypsy King' was scheduled to face Oleksandr Usyk in a mega-fight on December 23rd, and the fight was even announced during the build-up to Fury vs. Ngannou.
After Tyson Fury narrowly defeated Francis Ngannou via decision, the undisputed heavyweight title clash with Usyk was moved to February.
With Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder having reportedly agreed to a two-fight deal to clash in 2024, Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, has pumped the brakes on speculation that the fight is a done deal.
'AJ' and Wilder will face-off against Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker respectively, on the Day of Reckoning card held in Saudi Arabia this weekend. The victories for Joshua and Wilder are not a foregone conclusion.
During a recent interview with Seconds Out, Hearn was asked what hurdles lay in the path to agreeing a deal for Joshua vs. Wilder. He said:
"Contracts have to get signed and executed, No.1. No.2, they both have to win. No.3, they have to win without injury or damage. Which is difficult in the heavyweight landscape. The reason that I'm not talking too much about it is we saw with Fury against Usyk, that fight was supposed to be December 23rd. Fury got dropped, nearly got beat, then it's not on December 23rd."
Watch the video below from 6:55:
Eddie Hearn explains why Francis Ngannou won't win a boxing world title
Francis Ngannou's stunning performance against Tyson Fury earned him a spot on the WBC's top 10 heavyweight boxing rankings.
His ranking has led to discussions about whether he could win a boxing world title, but Eddie Hearn has waved off the idea.
Due to his lack of experience, few expected 'The Predator' to provide Fury with a stiff test, let alone drop the WBC champion with a left hook. Hearn believes that the inexperience of Francis Ngannou would be his downfall in the sweet science.
During a recent interview with Seconds Out, Hearn said:
"Francis Ngannou can get beaten by anybody in the top 100... when you say, 'Is he going to be a force in the heavyweight division?' - He's only really thinking about the Fury rematch, or [fighting] Joshua or Wilder. Because he could lose to anybody. And he's not gonna risk it for $5 million or $10 million."
Watch the video below (9:15):