Legendary boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed Francis Ngannou is one of three names being considered for Anthony Joshua’s next bout.
Joshua is pencilled in to fight in March after comfortably dispatching Swedish contender Otto Wallin by TKO within five rounds during his last outing in Saudi Arabia.
Former UFC heavyweight Ngannou remains the fans’ choice. The Cameroonian-French international propelled himself into the conversation following an accomplished performance against Tyson Fury in October, despite the exhibition controversially being ruled in the Englishman’s favour.
And Hearn has confirmed he is being considered as a potential opponent, along with Filip Hrgovic and Zhilei Zhang.
Zhang has made himself one of the division’s most revered names following back-to-back stoppage wins over Joe Joyce in 2023.
His victories have placed him in the mandatory position for the WBO world heavyweight title which is currently held by Oleksandr Usyk.
However, with the Ukrainian due to fight Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight title on February 17, Zhang will have to wait in the wings for his shot at glory.
A fight against Joshua would be the perfect way for the Chinese heavy hitter to keep his name in the spotlight and continue riding on the crest of a wave.
With a pristine record of 17-0, 31-year-old Hrgovic also looks a dangerous opponent for Joshua.
Having secured a victory against Zhang in 2022 and triumphed twice more in the ring since, it seems fair to say the Croatian has proven his skill.
Yet there’s little doubt Ngannou remains the most popular option and perhaps the largest unknown quantity, given the relatively small sample size in boxing.
Only time will tell which of the three will be given the chance to cause a seismic upset, but one thing we now know for sure is that it won’t be Deontay Wilder.
The American slipped to a surprise defeat against Joseph Parker on the same night Joshua looked back to his best against Wallin.
Speaking to IFLTV, Hearn said: “The fight’s dead for now… The people who wanted to put the fight on no longer see that as the fight that it was. The numbers don’t work now because Wilder’s a busted flush at the moment. It’s a mismatch, in my opinion.”
