Eddie Hearn Gives Joshua High Praise And A New Name
In what was the most marquee match of the year up to this point, two-time unified heavyweight Anthony “AJ” Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) was at his destructive best against the dangerous MMA star Francis Ngannou (0-2). Believing that AJ is the man at heavyweight, Promoter Eddie Hearn is now on a quest to get back atop the division with their eyes set on the May 18 showdown between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.
DESTRUCT AND DESTROY
Facing Ngannou at the Kingdome Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Joshua had his way. With a minute to go in the opening round, the big man from Great Britain put Ngannou down with a right-hand square on the chin.
The domination continued into round two as he peppered his foe with left jabs and combinations to the head. Joshua put Ngannou down a second time with a counter right-hand with under a minute to go in the round. With Ngannou hurt, AJ landed a picture-perfect right hand that put the former MMA star down and out.
GIVING HIGH PRAISE
It’s arguably the leading candidate for the 2024 Knockout of the Year. To say that the camp of Joshua was excited is an understatement. When asked if his future includes fighting the winner of the May 18 battle between unified champion Usyk and WBC champion Fury, Joshua’s response was short and sweet during the post-fight interview.
“Yes, it is.”
Anthony Joshua
Alongside Joshua was the Chairman of Matchroom. Hearn was ebullient in applauding his fighter and made the following declaration.
“You’re looking at the baddest man on the planet. You’re looking at the number one heavyweight in the world, unquestionably.
On this form, there is no man in the world that can beat him in the heavyweight division. I told you, he’s going to come back, and he’s going to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.”
Eddie Hearn
Hearn may be guilty of hyperbole. After all, Joshua has lost twice to Usyk. After his rematch loss to Usyk in August 2022, Joshua’s emotions got the best of him during the post-fight interview. Many in the boxing community believe that Usyk and Fury are, in fact, the two best fighters in the division. But never count out a fighter who is riding a wave of confidence, especially when they have the physical gifts of AJ. He’s won his last three fights by stoppage.
Despite the losses to Usyk, the 33-year-old Joshua believes that if he can put it all together, he has what it takes to topple him and Fury. It looks like AJ will get the chance to prove his point. Word on the street is that his next fight will be against the winner of Usyk versus Fury later this year.
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