Eddie Hearn says Francis Ngannou will be coming into Friday’s 10-round headliner fight with Anthony Joshua full of confidence and poised for an upset after his performance against Tyson Fury last October.
Fans Miss the Live Experience (or Maybe Not)
Unfortunately, the early start time for Joshua vs. Nganou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will make it impossible for fans in the U.S. and UK to watch it live. The event will be shown live at 11:00 a.m. ET and 4:00 p.m. UK on Friday, March 8th, and many fans will still be at work. However, the main event will be delayed until approximately 11:00 p.m. UK / 6:00 p.m. ET, so that’s good.
Hearn has no control over the time of the event. Still, he can’t be overly pleased that fans won’t get the chance to see Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) in action against Ngannou, considering the fight has a bearing on a future clash against the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed championship.
The Blessing in Disguise?
This is Joshua’s big moment to put himself in a position to fight for the four belts, and his fans won’t get to see him in his moment of glory. Of course, on the flip side. If Joshua gets wiped out by Ngannou, it’s better for him that the fans don’t see him getting beaten. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
“How good is Ngannou going to be for this fight? If he believed going into the Fury fight, now he’s really going to believe,” said Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing, discussing Friday’s clash between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou.
Hearn’s Selective Praise
“It’s just the mentality of the man that worries you. He should have fear; he should be petrified, but he’s not, and that worries me. I got to say, AJ continued to look sensational,” Hearn continued.
Hearn doesn’t mention the opposition that Joshua has been facing to look “sensational.” We’re talking about Robert Helenious, Jermaine Franklin, and Otto Wallin. These guys aren’t exactly murderer’s row, and Hearn forgot to add that little tidbit of information.
“Coming through that Wallin fight, teaming up with Ben [Davison], he looks really good and confident. It’s just the breaking down of Ngannou is the tricky thing,” said Hearn.
Joshua – Ngannou Card
- Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou; Heavyweight
- Zhilei Zhang vs Joseph Parker; For Zhang’s WBO interim heavyweight title
- Rey Vargas vs Nick Ball; For Vargas’ WBC featherweight title
- Israil Madrimov vs. Magomed Kurbanov; For the vacant WBA super welterweight title
- Gavin Gwynne vs. Mark Chamberlain; Lightweight
- Justis Huni vs. Kevin Lerena; Heavyweight
- Jack McGann vs. Louis Green; Light middleweight
- Roman Fury vs. Martin Svarc; Heavyweight
- Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Christian Lopez Flores; Super lightweight
- Andrii Novytski vs. Juan Torres; Heavyweight
