EDDIE HEARN admits Anthony Joshua’s world title hopes could go up in a plume of Saudi smoke in his crossover clash with Francis Ngannou.
AJ, 34, got himself back into world title contention last year with consecutive wins over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin following back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
A £100million two-fight series with long-time rival Deontay Wilder was on the table before the former WBC heavyweight champion blew the bouts with a stinker of a performance against Joseph Parker in December.
In a bid to keep ticking over, AJ accepted Saudi boxing kingpin Turki Alalshikh’s offer of a showdown with Ngannou – who shocked the world by putting Tyson Fury on his backside in their Riyadh rumble last October.
And Hearn fears Friday night’s desert dust-up with the former UFC champ could be a huge banana skin in AJ’s road to becoming a three-time heavyweight champion.
He told SunSport: “There is very little reward for the fight.
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“The main reason we’re taking the fight is because of the credibility because of his performance against Fury.
“Obviously the money as well.
“But also His Excellency saying the winner of that fight should move forward and fight the winner of Fury vs Usyk. And that’s what we want.
“In one fight, AJ could become undisputed after we chased it for three or four years.
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“He could beat Ngannou, fight for the undisputed and win.
“The path is clear in Saudi Arabia for us to do that.
“But still, the fact remains we’ve got to get through Francis Ngannou.”
Hearn was blown away by Ngannou’s unlucky points loss to Fury and admits he’s worried the Cameroonian clubber may still have a trick or two up his sleeve.
The Matchroom Boxing chief said: “I’m excited [for the fight] and nervous as well.
“Ngannou is still a little bit of an unknown quantity if you like.
“I mean he’s a big, strong beast of a man. But I still feel that, on paper, our boxing guys should be beating the likes of Ngannou.
“But in the heavyweight division, as you saw against Tyson Fury, if you’re strong and you’re technically sound and you’re tough enough and you can whack, then you’ve got a chance.
“And he was unlucky not to get the win against Tyson Fury.
“So it gives AJ the credibility to go and fight him.”
Questions are still being asked of AJ ahead of his lucrative first foray into the world of crossover boxing.
But Hearn believes the London 2012 gold medallist can prove he’s the best heavyweight on the planet with a demolition job of “The Predator”.
He said: “If he can beat him, and beat him well, I think it’s a good message to say that AJ is the best heavyweight in the world.
“Which is starting to get a bit of momentum after the Wallin fight. I think AJ’s in a great fight.
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“But as I said, it’s a tricky fight against Ngannou.
“You should, on paper, beat the guy, but he’s a dangerous dude.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
