14 January 2024 , 09:00
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Anthony Joshua has been told he can beat Francis Ngannou and go on to become the undisputed heavyweight world champion.
'AJ' will head back to Saudi Arabia to fight former UFC champion Ngannou just weeks after his stunning knockout win against Otto Wallin. The Brit was lined to face Deontay Wilder after beating Wallin but his longtime rival ruined their planned two-fight deal by losing to Joseph Parker in a big upset.
Ngannou has now replaced Wilder to fight Joshua on March 8 to close out Riyadh season. The fight is taking place just weeks after Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk meet for the undisputed world titles and Joshua's promoter Hearn thinks his man could be next in line for the winner if he gets past Ngannou.
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“Criticism is out there all the time but he is in a great place, he is really confident. I said before the Wallin fight that he is going to beat Wallin, beat Wilder and beat Fury. The only thing that’s going to change is Ngannou replaces Wilder. I honestly believe he can beat all of those guys," Hearn said on The MMA Hour.
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Joshua's win against Wallin marked his first fight under new trainer Ben Davison, the same coach who trained Fury when he returned to the ring after battling mental health issues. Davison refused to give a straight answer when he was asked about the possibility of coaching Joshua for a fight against his old student Fury.
“Even now with Ben Davison, they like the Usyk fight now. Ben really believe that AJ can beat Usyk. I truly believe AJ will become undisputed heavyweight champion. Only with that last performance do people start thinking… I love Usyk but part of me wants Tyson to win that fight so we can potentially move," Hearn added.
Hearn admitted that if Joshua beats Ngannou he could fight Filip Hrgovic for a world title next, but either Fury or Usyk would have to be stripped of the belt after their undisputed fight next month. Joshua and Fury have been linked to fight for almost a decade whilst Usyk has previously beaten 'AJ' twice.