Eddie Hearn Responds to Frank Warren: Joshua Declined Ngannou Fight
In an interview with iFLTV, Eddie Hearn laid out his views on the decisions made by Tyson Fury and his team. Addressing recent comments from Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, Hearn clarified his position that he believes Tyson Fury deciding to fight Francis Ngannou is “good business” but not the route Anthony Joshua wanted to take.
Anthony Joshua Turned Down Francis Ngannou Fight
Eddie Hearn, the career-long promoter of Anthony Joshua, shared that the former World Heavyweight Champion was offered a lucrative fight with Francis Ngannou, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion. However, Joshua, with his sights set on regaining his boxing titles, turned down the idea immediately.
“I met Francis Ngannou and he wants to fight you,” Hearn recalled telling Joshua. In response, Joshua expressed absolutely no interest. “I want to win a world Heavyweight title. I’m not fighting Francis Ngannou,” Joshua responded, indicating his single-minded focus on his boxing career.
In stark contrast, Tyson Fury, the current WBC Heavyweight Champion, has chosen to fight Ngannou. This decision was met with some surprise given Ngannou’s limited experience in professional boxing.
Eddie Hearns To Frank Warren
Hearn in response to Frank Warren highlighted the differences between the two fighters’ choices. “The reality is there were opportunities a hundred percent for Fury to fight [Oleksandr] Usyk, and he decided, maybe he didn’t like the money, maybe he didn’t like the fight, but chose not to progress it and [chose to] fight Francis Ngannou instead,” he said.
Hearn defended Joshua’s decision not to pursue a fight with Francis Ngannou, reiterating his commitment to boxing and the aim for Heavyweight titles. He contrasted this with Tyson Fury’s apparent preference for a more lucrative but arguably less prestigious bout with Francis Ngannou, also pointing out it’s really “disappointing for the fans”
By NoSmokeSport
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