RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — According to promoter Eddie Hearn, Anthony Joshua faces a high-stakes matchup against Francis Ngannous, who resembles Godzilla. On March 8, the former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua would have to swallow a bitter pill if he lost to a 0-1 Ngannou.
Though even if that were true, Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) a 34-year old British professional boxer, was never the fighter that boxing fans made him out to be and was always fragile, despite Hearn’s insistence that he is “back” to what he was during his finest years.
Following the 2012 London Olympics, that was evident. He was the one who appeared to lose three of his matches in the competition, yet he was still awarded a gold medal. Hearn has not disclosed his plans for Joshua in the event that he loses to Ngannou, but it is expected that he will face a number of opponents that share similar qualities with the three confidence-boosters he just defeated.
“He’s taking this fight like it’s Tyson Fury x 10. If you get beat, you get beaten by a fighter with a 0-1 record,” said Eddie Hearn in media reports regarding the opponent Anthony Joshua will face on March 8th—the novice Francis Ngannou.
“His Excellency said the winner of this fight faces the winner of Fury-Usyk. That is a dream chance for us because we chased that for so long. AJ is going to beat Francis Ngannou, and then he’s going to beat the winner of Fury-Usyk, and he’s going to become the undisputed heavyweight world champion,” he added.
“Before he [Joshua] fought Otto Wallin, I went into the changing room, and he was hitting pads with Ben Davison. I was like, ‘He’s back,’ and I’ve never seen anything like it. He was punching with ferocity and confidence. It’s a week on Friday. Two giants will meet in the ring in Riyadh. This is the first time Joshua has fought an opponent that outsized him. This guy [Ngannou] is huge. It’s like a cruiserweight and a heavyweight. So this is a real threat,” he continued.
“When these two come together in Riyadh, this is Godzilla and King Kong. This is two enormous men, and anything can happen in this fight. You can one shot on the chin, and it’s over,” concluded Eddie Hearn.
