Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn isn’t convinced that the Tyson Fury-Francis Ngannou superfight will ever take place, despite both fighters’ insistence otherwise. He explained why in a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, following Fury’s purported retirement from boxing.
“It’s a big fight. I actually don’t [think it happens.] I don’t know the contractual situation. I think Tyson Fury’s up with ESPN or about to be and Ngannou’s up with the UFC, maybe Dana comes in and does it himself, or maybe I do it with Dana. I don’t know.
Eddie Hearn Casts Doubt on Fury-Ngannou Superfight
Big fight. Big fight. But it’s the contracts, I can’t imagine Dana doing a fight with Bob Arum, how long the contracts are, is Ngannou gonna re-sign? The Ngannou situation, I would be very surprised if Ngannou left the UFC without Dana White having some kind of involvement or control.”
If it does go ahead, however, Hearn wants a piece of the action. Alternatively, there’s another name on the list that nobody else is discussing. “I’m interested in any big fight that does big numbers.
I’m not really interested as a boxing purist because [it’s a mismatch]. They’re big boys. One punch can change everything, but I prefer Dillian Whyte against Ngannou, maybe with a little bit of mixed, hybrid rules.
Because Dillian Whyte is a kickboxer, he can grapple as well. But anything like that is exciting.” Eddie Hearn consistently promotes the biggest names in British boxing, including Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He remains sceptical about Fury’s retirement, pointing out how much money, and the potential legacy, is still on the table.
“I don’t really believe anything he says. But he’s also capable of doing anything. Ultimately, it’s on him. If he wants walk away from boxing, good on him. It’s a very tough sport. He’s made a lot of money, he’s won the world heavyweight championship, and if he’s happy doing that, good luck to him. I just feel that his biggest fights are in front of him, the real, career-defining, legacy-defining stuff.
There’s a lot of talk at the moment about him being a generational great and better than Lennox Lewis and these fighters of the past, he may be, but ain’t got the resume to prove it yet. But he could do [it].
If he beats AJ [Anthony Joshua], if he beats [Oleksandr] Usyk, or certainly the winner of that fight, he goes down as an undisputed champion, a Lennox Lewis style, legacy, generational great.” Is Eddie Hearn right to be sceptical? Let us know in the comments.
