Eddie Hearn believes that defeat for Anthony Joshua in his next fight could cost him another world title shot, but he may be interested in a match-up with Francis Ngannou.
Joshua lost last Autumn in his rematch with Ukrainian unified world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, and has been back to the drawing board working on his return.
A new trainer has been picked and Joshua is now in camp in the United States, Hearn told the DAZN Boxing Show, and believes a second consecutive defeat could leave him on the sidelines of the division.
“I always say that, I say that too much,” he said about defeat costing Joshua his career.
“He wants to fight for the heavyweight title. I’m not saying his career will be over, but it’s over in the sense of: ‘We ain’t getting a title fight this year.’
“If we lose in April then the world heavyweight title is a long way out. I don’t like to put the pressure on, but one thing’s for sure, he must win in April. It’s very important, I can’t wait to see him. He’s in a training camp in America and I think he’s going to give us a great performance.”
Asked whether Joshua would be keen to fight Ngannou, who has recently left the UFC as the MMA division’s heavyweight champion, he admitted Joshua would potentially be interested.
“I think AJ is all about the biggest fights and the biggest challenges. I think AJ has got his mind on becoming a three-time world champion, but a fight against Francis Ngnannou... is fascinating.”