Eddie Hearn pitches Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou if ‘dead fight’ with Fury-Usyk goes on

Eddie Hearn believes that Francis Ngannou was unfairly treated in his recent controversial split decision loss to Tyson Fury. However, Hearn sees the result as a shake-up in the heavyweight division of boxing.

As the chairman of Matchroom Boxing, Hearn closely watched the showdown between Fury and Ngannou in Saudi Arabia. The fight was expected to be a one-sided victory for Fury, but it turned out to be a highly competitive match. Ngannou even scored the fight’s only knockdown in Round 3, creating a narrow result on the scorecards. Fury was ultimately declared the winner, generating significant outrage.

Hearn expressed his surprise at the decision, stating that Ngannou should have been awarded the victory. He also criticized Fury’s performance, calling it “absolutely awful.” Despite the loss, Hearn believes that Ngannou has established himself as a presence in the boxing heavyweight division.

If Hearn had control over the future matchups, he would have preferred to see Fury face his fighter Anthony Joshua. However, Hearn acknowledges the importance of a fight between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk to unify all the heavyweight championship belts.

Hearn suggests that a matchup between Joshua and Ngannou would make sense and predicts that Joshua would deliver the dominant performance that was expected from Fury. He believes that Joshua could potentially end Fury’s career and proposes scrapping the Fury-Usyk fight in favor of Joshua vs. Ngannou.

Ultimately, Hearn applauds Ngannou for his performance but criticizes the overall quality of the fight. He concludes by expressing his desire for a future matchup between Joshua and Fury, confident that Joshua would emerge victorious.

For more information on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Fury vs. Ngannou.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie