Eddie Hearn desperate to make Francis Ngannou vs Anthony Joshua

[Area809]

If the Saudi's are backing Francis' next fight, it's high risk, high reward.

And compared to any other fight capable of generating huge money, it's still the one Joshua is most likely to win. He's far more likely to be beat Francis than he is to survive Wilder, imo.

Whether he beats Ngannou or not, the Fury fight is still a chance. And we all know you can't sit around waiting for Fury anyway, he'll duck you for years.

To me, AJ’a reputation is on life support. A loss to Francis may be the end for him. I could be wrong.

 

[ChimRichalds]

He needs to put Wilder in the corner and fill the ring with uppercuts.
Afraid Joshua can dance around and point fight him?

Absolutely. I think AJ leaves absolutely nothing to chance with how his recent fights have went, and takes a clear decision. No way he underestimates Ngannou now.

Wilder on the other hand is a great fight, and one I have a much harder time predicting. This whole thing is strange for me lol I never thought we would be having this discussion.

 

[Colin Mackie]

typical promoter talk. downplay fury's win and build up ngannou. joshua gets a clear UD. "hey my guy beat ngannou better"

it could backfire horribly though. joshua got finished by fuckin andy ruiz

He was reckless against Ruiz the first time and learned a valuable lesson. He won the rematch easily and has looked a lot more safety-first since then. I can see him winning the same way against Ngannou who was far too patient on Saturday and allowed Fury to steal rounds. Wilder would be a better matchup because it likely boils down to who lands his bomb first.

 

[Nova44]

Absolutely. I think AJ leaves absolutely nothing to chance with how his recent fights have went, and takes a clear decision. No way he underestimates Ngannou now.

Wilder on the other hand is a great fight, and one I have a much harder time predicting. This whole thing is strange for me lol I never thought we would be having this discussion.

As a boxing fan both AJ and Wilder are winnable fights for Ngannou that he should be pushing for in my opinion. Usyk would box Ngannou's ears off, but with AJ's decline in recent years, lack of confidence since Usyk beat him twice, coupled with his always suspect chin, there's a chance he catches AJ and chins him. He could beat Wilder too given Wilder's lack of inside game and reputation for getting wild and reckless when he needs to stay calm.

• Usyk definitely beats Ngannou so either steer clear or leave that til last
• AJ could outbox Ngannou but he's been very poor so Ngannou could catch him (AJ would most likely retire if he lost to Ngannou)
• Wilder is the huge 50/50 for anyone in boxing. He could KO Ngannou in the first round or he could get KO'd/lose a decision. You can't really predict a Wilder fight

 

[Paul E Gensinger]

Absolutely. I think AJ leaves absolutely nothing to chance with how his recent fights have went, and takes a clear decision. No way he underestimates Ngannou now.

Wilder on the other hand is a great fight, and one I have a much harder time predicting. This whole thing is strange for me lol I never thought we would be having this discussion.

Discussions between men can sometimes lead to other things.

 

[Goatenstein]

These promoters need to cash in now before the inevitable return to reality Francis will get if he keeps fighting top 20 guys.

 

[Deaths Head]

I’m surprised Hearn would take this risk, specially with Joshua’s fragile chin. The last thing Joshua needs after his showings against Ruiz and Usyk, is to lose to an 0-1 boxer. Francis is still high risk, low reward.

Fury’s been on his back 6/7 times and a few times with non power punchers so who has the fragile chin again ? Lol

Hearn wouldn’t take the fight he’s not a fighter but Joshua might now that he won’t get ridiculed fir it since he would have had he took it when Ngannou had that meeting with Hearn because he knows it’s the biggest payout or him , Fury was an after thought .

The fact Fury got exposed despite the win added to his laughable resume so what are you on about do you really think Fury would have taken this fight if he knew Ngannou had decent counter punching with a left hook ? Lol

 

[Kwic]

Where are those fools now that were shitting on Ngannou for his decision to leave the UFC? Slave/cuck mentality was pouring from them in comparison to Francis and the principles he stood by.

 

[nonoob]

Smart move. Do it first, make bank.

 

[djacobox372]

AJ is the worst fight for Francis--strong technical boxer with the power to hurt him.

He needs to hold out for the Fury rematch. If that doesn't pan out, roll the dice against Wilder.

 

[Badr Hari]

As a boxing fan both AJ and Wilder are winnable fights for Ngannou that he should be pushing for in my opinion. Usyk would box Ngannou's ears off, but with AJ's decline in recent years, lack of confidence since Usyk beat him twice, coupled with his always suspect chin, there's a chance he catches AJ and chins him. He could beat Wilder too given Wilder's lack of inside game and reputation for getting wild and reckless when he needs to stay calm.

• Usyk definitely beats Ngannou so either steer clear or leave that til last
• AJ could outbox Ngannou but he's been very poor so Ngannou could catch him (AJ would most likely retire if he lost to Ngannou)
• Wilder is the huge 50/50 for anyone in boxing. He could KO Ngannou in the first round or he could get KO'd/lose a decision. You can't really predict a Wilder fight

I totally agree. Ngannou is more talented than AJ and stronger than Wilder. Those are 50-50 fights totally winnable for him, massive paydays as well.

He should stay far away from Usyk though. Not only Usyk isn't a star name, but also beats him all night long, 120-108 best case scenario.

 

[Mujeriego]

Hearn is desperate because he knows someones is going to end the Ngannou dream, and he wants it to be AJ.

 

[burningspear]

desperate to get cosy with the sheiks

 

[ChimRichalds]

As a boxing fan both AJ and Wilder are winnable fights for Ngannou that he should be pushing for in my opinion. Usyk would box Ngannou's ears off, but with AJ's decline in recent years, lack of confidence since Usyk beat him twice, coupled with his always suspect chin, there's a chance he catches AJ and chins him. He could beat Wilder too given Wilder's lack of inside game and reputation for getting wild and reckless when he needs to stay calm.

• Usyk definitely beats Ngannou so either steer clear or leave that til last
• AJ could outbox Ngannou but he's been very poor so Ngannou could catch him (AJ would most likely retire if he lost to Ngannou)
• Wilder is the huge 50/50 for anyone in boxing. He could KO Ngannou in the first round or he could get KO'd/lose a decision. You can't really predict a Wilder fight

Yeah, that's about where I'm at with it. AJ is a winnable fight for sure, but I just think he's the worst potential matchup right now for Francis outside of Usyk.

I love the idea of the Wilder fight though, that one truly could go either way. I'd love to see if Ngannou could eat Wilders shots, because if that's the case, I think I pick Francis there.

 

[ChimRichalds]

Discussions between men can sometimes lead to other things.

I meant just that it's wild that we're able to talk about another Ngannou boxing match against the likes of Wilder or AJ. Crazy world lol.

 

[Roids]

lol @ risk

Your ignorance is hilarious. It obvious Francis would be a huge risk for the tentative and chinny AJ of today. I think Francis stops him.

 

[Paul E Gensinger]

I meant just that it's wild that we're able to talk about another Ngannou boxing match against the likes of Wilder or AJ. Crazy world lol.

I know. I was just being weird.
Oh, exactly. We all expected Francis to get destroyed but make millions.

It's absolutely imperative he wins his next fight. So a little step back before Wilder/Joshua may be in order.

 

[David Street]

Dana very happy gets legitimized mma, wants a slapper now to make it big in boxing.

 

[burningspear]

As a boxing fan both AJ and Wilder are winnable fights for Ngannou that he should be pushing for in my opinion. Usyk would box Ngannou's ears off, but with AJ's decline in recent years, lack of confidence since Usyk beat him twice, coupled with his always suspect chin, there's a chance he catches AJ and chins him. He could beat Wilder too given Wilder's lack of inside game and reputation for getting wild and reckless when he needs to stay calm.

• Usyk definitely beats Ngannou so either steer clear or leave that til last
• AJ could outbox Ngannou but he's been very poor so Ngannou could catch him (AJ would most likely retire if he lost to Ngannou)
• Wilder is the huge 50/50 for anyone in boxing. He could KO Ngannou in the first round or he could get KO'd/lose a decision. You can't really predict a Wilder fight

I tend to agree but it won't be a popular view lol
Francis is very problematic, from early on he negated Fury's speed advantage by punching with him, most exchanges were almost simultaneous, there isnt another HW out there with the same confidence in their ability to absorb shots and fire at will.

 

[spinup]

As a boxing fan both AJ and Wilder are winnable fights for Ngannou that he should be pushing for in my opinion. Usyk would box Ngannou's ears off, but with AJ's decline in recent years, lack of confidence since Usyk beat him twice, coupled with his always suspect chin, there's a chance he catches AJ and chins him. He could beat Wilder too given Wilder's lack of inside game and reputation for getting wild and reckless when he needs to stay calm.

• Usyk definitely beats Ngannou so either steer clear or leave that til last
• AJ could outbox Ngannou but he's been very poor so Ngannou could catch him (AJ would most likely retire if he lost to Ngannou)
• Wilder is the huge 50/50 for anyone in boxing. He could KO Ngannou in the first round or he could get KO'd/lose a decision. You can't really predict a Wilder fight

Apparently Ngannou's team has always been very confident about a matchup with Joshua, I find it interesting.

I think that Wilder is the most complicated matchup for Ngannou.

And also that Usy could have a very rough night: he is past his prime now and the physicality and power of Ngannou could be a problem, especially the body shots.