27 July 2023 , 14:56
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Anthony Joshua told promoter Eddie Hearn he had no interest in fighting Francis Ngannou when the pair discussed the opportunity of a big-money crossover.
Two-time unified heavyweight champion Joshua is due to face Dillian Whyte in a rematch on August 12 before a showdown with Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia. The winner of the second fight, should he get through his British rival, will likely cement themselves as a top contender for Tyson Fury's WBC title, which won't be on the line when he fights Ngannou this year.
And Hearn has explained that Joshua expressed zero interest in taking on the lineal UFC heavyweight champion, despite knowing the major money that could be earned. When they discussed the possibility, the promoter claims that it was not even on his fighter's radar, which is covered completely by his path back to heavyweight gold.
In a prickly interview with talkSPORT, Hearn told host Jim White that Joshua said during their discussions that he has "Absolutely no interest at all," in the fight, before adding: "I want to become heavyweight world champion again, I've got no interest in fighting Francis Ngannou.”
"Francis Ngannou came to me, we had a very nice meeting and he's got a great story," Hearn added. "He came to me because he wanted to fight Anthony Joshua. I went straight to AJ, I've said 'look it's a bit of a left-field one' and don't forget Anthony Joshua is not a world champion and didn't have a shot at the world championship."
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And Hearn doesn't believe that the Fury vs Ngannou showcase, which takes place in Riyadh on October 28, is as bad as purists are making out. However, he feels it is indicative of the Brit not believing in his ability to hand Oleksandr Usyk, who twice defeated Joshua, his first loss to become undisputed champion.
"I get it," Hearn continued. "I'm not going to sit here and go 'oh it's a disgrace'. They're taking the money! We all love a pound note but let's not dress it up with 'I'm not about the money, I don't care, I'm not about the flash cars, I'm not about this, I'm not about that'.
"Let's just say it for how it is 'I couldn't make one of those fights, didn't quite fancy Oleksandr Usyk so I'm going to make £30million to fight someone who's never had a fight before'. Pay him the money and we'll chat later."