Anthony Joshua's promoter provides update on massive Francis Ngannou fight

Anthony Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn says he reached out to Francis Ngannou’s team to agree to a boxing match - but they did not respond. The 37-year-old received plenty of positive feedback after making his boxing debut against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in October.

Ngannou dropped ‘The Gypsy King’ and though he was defeated by a split decision, many believe the former UFC heavyweight champion did enough throughout the contest to be declared the winner. The boxing world is interested in seeing who Ngannou will fight next, and a bout between him and AJ is an exciting prospect.

But when Hearn tried to turn the idea into reality, he said his efforts were in vain. “I reached out to Francis Ngannou’s team and I said, ‘Just to let you know, we’re up for discussing the Francis Ngannou [vs.] AJ fight. I never heard back from them,'” Hearn explained during an appearance on the MMA Hour.

“So I think probably, knowing the business, I would say that probably Fury-Ngannou is almost probably agreed to post Fury-[Oleksandr] Usyk already. [Ngannou will] feel like, after that first fight, he can beat Fury, but there’s no point [in boxing non-stars] — he can really lose to anybody in the top 50 at heavyweight, so you’ve got to cash in at this point.

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“There’s really only three fights that cash into the levels that he will want [Fury, Joshua, or Deontay Wilder]. So I’d guess, and you might know better, Francis Ngannou will fight in the PFL or wherever in spring, summer of 2024, and then he’ll fight Tyson Fury at the end of [2024]. I would think that would be the mindset of the team.”

Soon after Ngannou’s controversial defeat to Fury, Hearn pushed for him to fight Joshua and claimed it would be “one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport,” especially if it was held in Africa, given the fighters' roots in the continent. "I’m looking at it and I’m thinking, Francis Ngannou against Anthony Joshua, perhaps in Africa, perhaps the Rumble in the Jungle 2, is one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport," Hearn said in October.

“And I promise you this, respect to Francis — easy work for my man [Joshua]. And I know you’re getting a little high right now, I know the MMA world is just walking in the clouds, but we’ll bring it straight back down to reality.” Joshua has returned to winning ways following two devastating defeats to Oleksandr Usyk with the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO championships on the line.

A unanimous decision win over Jermaine Franklin in April, followed by a seventh-round knockout of Robert Helenius in August has helped AJ rebuild his confidence and gain some momentum. He is keen on becoming champion again, but with Fury and Usyk likely to face one another next year, Joshua may have to look at other options, at least for the time being.

There have been rumors regarding a fight with Deontay Wilder, and the ‘Bronze Bomber’ has expressed his desire to fight the 2012 Olympic champion. But as it stands, Joshua does not yet have a confirmed fight heading into 2024, and neither does Ngannou. But AJ will step into the ring on Dec. 23 to take on Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia.