Via Matt Lieberman: Eddie Hearn says he’s heard that the big fight between former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and two-time world champion Derek Chisora could be the third fight on the Skill Challenge card in December. in Saudi Arabia.
Ngannou will make his boxing debut against the still-dangerous big boxer Chisora (33-13, 30 KOs) in Anthony Joshua’s underweight bout against Deontay Wilder.
The second bout that was supposed to take place on the card was Tyson Fury versus Oleksnder Usyk, but Heaarn is skeptical that that fight will ever take place. WBC heavyweight champion Fury can price himself, and he will be disqualified.
Chisora is expected to lose to Fury in the tenth round last December in London. At 39, Chisora is a bit old, but he’s still a professional tennis player with loads of experience and he knows how to use a punch when he’s new. He can wear Ngannou outside and stop him.
Hearn says he talked to Anthony Joshua about fighting Ngannou and that he is NOT interested in that fight. He said Joshua is more focused on his legacy.
He would go in the opposite direction if he started getting into those kinds of fights. Those are the kinds of celebrity/show-level fights that guys like Floyd Mayweaathr Jr turned to after he retired.
“There are talks about him getting Chisora. I talked to Anthony [Joshua] about the fight, and at the stage in his boxing career he’s chasing greatness,” Eddie Hearn told Ariel Helwani’s Youtube channel.
“There are rumors of a third battle that December night, possibly Ngannou versus Chisora. I think that’s what they [the Saudis] want,” Hearn said when asked if there was a chance for three heavyweight bouts on the December card in Saudi Arabia, and Chisora vs. Ngannou will be one of them.
I actually quite enjoyed that fight because I didn’t see Francis competing with Fury or AJ but more with Chisora.
“I just feel like what Francis wants to do is make a good sum of money. The only difference in the heavyweight world is that Francis can actually punch. If he takes one to Fury, if he takes one to AJ, or one to Chisora, he can win the match.
“You need a website fee for a fight like that. I don’t know what Francis wants, but you’re talking about tens of millions of dollars for those fights, and it might not be there.
“He wants to beat Wilder, and he wants to fight [Tyson] Rage for the world title. When I brought up the Ngannou fight, he was like [frowning]and he’s not interested because he has work to do in the sport.
“Fury is going to fight Ngannou, but the only place where you can make money that both fighters think is worth it is in the Middle East, and once the Middle East says no, the market dies because that war. They must have [said no] because I’m sure it was discussed and presented,” Hearn said.
