Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed that there was an offer for the former world heavyweight champion to face Francis Ngannou but the British-Nigerian rejected it.
Ngannou has now been lined up to make his professional boxing debut against WBC world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury on October 28. The high-profile clash is set to take place in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Joshua is gearing up for a much-anticipated rematch against Dillian Whyte. Their first encounter, which took place in 2015, was hailed as a classic, and fans are eagerly awaiting their second showdown.
A victory for Joshua could potentially pave the way for a future clash with Deontay Wilder later this year.
When questioned about Joshua’s decision to pass on the opportunity to fight Ngannou, Hearn said, “I took the (Francis Ngannou) fight to Joshua. He wasn’t interested. But I knew that there was a chance that Ngannou could fight someone. I think it’s terrible for boxing because obviously there was a chance to make the undisputed fight (between Fury and Usyk),” Hearn told FightHype.
