“And the Fight’s Over”: Eddie Hearn Names the Fighter Who Can Beat Francis Ngannou in One-Round

Francis Ngannou is going to make his boxing debut in a handful of days. But fans have characterized the fight as David vs. Goliath. On one hand, Tyson Fury is the WBC heavyweight champion who has taken down boxing behemoths like Deontay Wilder and Wladimir Klitschko. On the other, Francis Ngannou doesn’t even have a single professional fight under his belt. So, Eddie Hearn recently named an unexpected boxer who could take down Ngannou effortlessly.

While people are raising questions about Ngannou’s boxing capability, Mike Tyson, who joined Ngannou’s corner, has shown confidence in his abilities. Even Tyson Fury has claimed he is taking a special approach to training for the fight against the UFC champ. However, fans and experts alike don’t seem convinced about the fight being competitive. To illustrate the depth of this skepticism, Eddie Hearn has a fighter in mind who can beat Ngannou in a single round.

Eddie Hearn thinks this fighter can beat Francis Ngannou in one round

In a recent interview with NoSmokeSport, Eddie Hearn boldly questioned Ngannou’s ability to win a southern area title. “Would Francis Ngannou win a southern area title now?” questioned Hearn. He then went on to answer the question himself, harshly claiming he wouldn’t be able to. “And the answer is not in a million years,” said Hearn. Citing that as the reason, Hearn emphasized the challenge Ngannou has to face in a few days.

Southern Area is one of the Regional Title Belt systems under the British Board of Boxing Control that regulates regional boxing in the UK. The regions that come under the Southern Area Title Belts are between London, Southern Counties, Western Counties, and UK Armed Forces.

This is the league Eddie Hearn is referring to when trying to describe Ngannou’s boxing competency. “So, that helps put it into perspective about the task he [Ngannou] has ahead of him,” said the British promoter.

When asked if Hearn really believed what he was claiming, Hearn confidently responded, “A 100%!” What’s more, he proceeded to name a fighter who could beat Francis Ngannou. “Johnny Fisher is a southern area champion. One round – he beats Francis Ngnnou, and the fight’s over,” said Hearn. Hearn believes that the upcoming fight is such a mismatch that even a regional champion could beat Ngannou, let alone one of the greatest boxing heavyweights of all time.

Hearn Brands Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury a mismatch 

Besides claiming Johnny Fisher was a better fighter than Francis Ngannou, Hearn even spoke about the entire event. While appearing in an interview with Seconds Out, Hearn asserted the fight is a mismatch. He went on to compare the two fighters in terms of their achievements. “I mean…Heavyweight World Champion. Number one in the world against a man who has never put on a pair of boxing gloves in a professional ring” remarked Hearn.

Also Read: “He’s Gonna Make 30-40 Million”: Eddie Hearn Opens Up About Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou

Hearn then proceeded to criticize BBBofC for sanctioning the crossover boxing event. “The BBBofC are sanctioning that fight between two non-British boxing license holders,” said Hearn mockingly. He still wasn’t done, as he labeled the entire event as a “money-grab” but acknowledged it would be entertaining. 

Despite Ngannou’s accolades in MMA, Hearn feels Ngannou doesn’t stand a chance of winning the fight. However, boxing is a crazy sport, and crazier things have happened in the ring. What do you think will happen on fight night? Will Ngannou knock out Fury, or is he in for a beating? 

Watch This Story: Everything We Know So Far About Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou