Anthony Joshua Rejects Francis Ngannou’s Challenge – Hearn

Nigerian-born British heavyweight boxer, Anthony Joshua has told his promoter Eddie Hearn that he is not interested in facing Francis Ngannou as he aims to regain his title.

Before Francis Ngannou, who is a renowned UFC fighter, succeeded in landing his cross-over boxing bout against WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in October, he tried to fight Anthony Joshua.

Then, the Nigerian-born two-time world heavyweight champion declined the opportunity because he felt it would be a mere “showoff bout”.

After Ngannou almost defeated Fury and dropped him on the ground in the third round of the bout in Saudi Arabia, Eddie Hearn and other boxing enthusiasts began to anticipate a Joshua vs Ngannou bout.

However, the 44-year-old boxing promoter has made it clear that Joshua had no interest in competing against the former UFC heavyweight champion, despite being aware of the significant financial potential of the bout.

Hearn said AJ was not even considering the possibility when they discussed it as he is focused on getting his world title back.

In an interview with talkSPORT, Eddie Hearn claimed that AJ has “Absolutely no interest at all,” in fighting Ngannou, quoting Joshua as saying: “I want to become heavyweight world champion again, I’ve got no interest in fighting Francis Ngannou.”

Naija News gathered that AJ is still in negotiations with American fighter Deontay Wilder for a significant fight slated for January or February of 2024. If Joshua wins the fight, he could have a shot at the world title once again.