23 October 2023 , 09:33
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Eddie Hearn has been called out for switching up with his opinion on Francis Ngannou's ability to punch in a series of interviews just four months apart.
The boxing promoter was keen to have Ngannou fight on one of his shows, with bouts against Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora all mooted. And while discussing the potential of a fight between the MMA star and Chisora, he expressed his concern about his fearsome punching power.
But within months of those comments from Hearn, he appears to have changed his tune, insisting Ngannou "can't punch properly". The UFC heavyweight champion is due to face Tyson Fury under the banner of rival promoter Frank Warren, and Hearn is not keen to see the match-up play out.
"Don't be ridiculous," he told Boxing Social ahead of the fight. "He can't punch properly, you'll see - these guys, they're not strikers, they don't train to punch every day so no." When interviewer Charlie Parsons jokingly asked if he was "more dangerous than Oleksandr Usyk," Hearn laughed off the idea.
"The likelihood of Ngannou winning is like you [interviewer Charlie Parsons] fighting me," Hearn joked, likely playing on the massive size difference between the pair. "I actually mean that. You could chin me, with my chin in the air, I could let you chin me and it wouldn't even have any effect on me, and that's the same for Ngannou against Fury."
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And Queensberry Promotions' Dev Sahni then noted that it was a far cry from what Hearn was saying as recently as the end of June, when he appeared on The MMA Hour while in talks for a fight between Ngannou and Chisora. At the time, the UFC champion told Mirror Fighting that such a bout was never discussed, but Hearn believed it was of interest to Saudi Arabian officials.
Sahni shared a clip from the interview in which Hearn can be seen telling host Ariel Helwani "The only difference in the heavyweight world is Francis can really punch. Listen, if he lands one on Fury, if he lands one on AJ, or lands one on Chisora, he can win the fight."