The former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and boxer Eddie Hearn have expressed interest in fighting each other.
Ngannou just lost his UFC contract, making him a free agent in the combat sports industry. He is anticipated to transition to boxing.
The 36-year-old has already been compared to well-known boxers like Tyson Fury, the WBC heavyweight champion. Hearn wants to get Joshua and him into a fight.
When he appeared on The MMA Hour, Hearn praised Ngannou. He commended the Cameroonian's achievements and outlook.
Hearn expressed his admiration for Ngannou for being prepared to compete in the "rocky" world of boxing.
He views Ngannou's transition to boxing as an opportunity to earn the money he feels deserving of, but he is aware that it will be challenging for him to face Joshua or Fury in his debut fight.
Hearn believes that because Ngannou and Joshua have never faced off, their bout will be one of the biggest in sports history.
“I think he should fight Joshua. These guys have a mountain to climb in terms of the challenge of fighting an elite boxer, but to go through the process of having two or three fights — one fight you might look bad because you’re learning, so the value really is the unknown,” Hearn said.
“What happens when two titans from the world of fight sports collide? The UFC heavyweight world champion Ngannou and the two-time world heavyweight boxing champion Joshua. The complete unknown.
“The unknown of how good is Ngannou? We know he punches extremely hard; if he lands one on Joshua, is it the greatest upset of all time? Or will AJ completely steamroll him, and you’ll see Ngannou get knocked out? That’s the attraction of that fight, the unknown.
“So for me, if I’m representing Ngannou, I want to make sure that this next move, I maximize every dollar that’s out there.”