He shared this during an appearance on the MMA Hour, saying: “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.'”
Ngannou, who made his boxing debut against Tyson Fury, received plenty of praise despite losing by a split decision with many fans believing he did enough to win. The boxing world is now eager to see who Ngannou will fight next, with a match against AJ a thrilling possibility.
However, Hearn believes a rematch between Ngannou and Fury might already be in the works after their first fight. He added: “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 continued. “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.”
“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 or 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.”
After Ngannou’s controversial defeat by Fury, Hearn quickly suggested a match-up with Joshua. He claimed it could be “one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport,” mainly if it took place in Africa, reflecting the fighters’ heritage. “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 stated back 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 bounced back from two crushing losses to Oleksandr Usyk as he lost his world titles to the Ukrainian.
AJ has been building up his confidence and momentum with a unanimous decision win over Jermaine Franklin in April, followed by a seventh-round knockout of Robert Helenius in August. He’s eager to reclaim his champion title, but with Fury and Usyk likely to face off next year, he might need to consider other options for now.
Rumors are swirling about a potential fight with Deontay Wilder, who’s keen to take on the 2012 Olympic champ. However, as things stand, neither Joshua nor Ngannou have a confirmed fight lined up for 2024. Nevertheless, AJ is set to step into the ring against Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 23.