Joshua Is Not Looking Beyond Ngannou
Anthony Joshua is not looking beyond his next fight, which is against Francis Ngannou.
The two boxers face off on March 8, 2024, with the winner potentially fighting for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk face off for all the belts on February 17, 2024, which is why the winner of Joshua-Ngannou could be forgiven for looking ahead.
Joshua has spoken about his desire to become a three-weight world champion, which could be complete with the bonus of being undisputed. As for Ngannou, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion has nothing to lose.
He pushed Tyson Fury all the way, dropping him in the third round before making it to the final bell. Despite losing a split decision, Ngannou earned a top-ten ranking from the WBC, showing that he can mix it with the best of them. That is why Joshua is staying calm with what could follow.
Joshua Reacts
“Let me say this again, I’m not focusing on that [undisputed]. I’m going to take my mind, I have to draw it back that Ngannou is my undisputed title fight. That’s the mentality I have to have. Ngannou is my undisputed fight. Because you’re only as good as your last fight, and I respect him a lot. He ain’t easy money. He’s a hard night’s work. And you know what’s crazy? So am I. I’m a hard night’s work for anyone. So let’s go, it’s going to be fireworks,” Joshua said
Nevertheless, it is essential to bear in mind the following factors. Fury and Usyk do have a rematch clause in place. Therefore, Joshua is not guaranteed to face them directly, even if he beats Ngannou. There is also the chance that the winner of Fury-Usyk will walk away from the sport.
They would be the best heavyweight of their era, with nothing else to prove in the sport. Usyk has already beaten Joshua twice, while Fury has distanced himself from the Joshua fight, stating it no longer makes sense following his defeats to Usyk. Since Fury has already beaten Deontay Wilder twice, he sees no benefit to facing AJ. But that has not stopped Eddie Hearn from wanting the fight.
Hearn On Joshua
“So, we get a straight shot at undisputed, and if Fury beats Usyk, which I hope he does, and we beat Ngannou, you got self-made arguably in the history of the sport. You know how things work over there. You know if Fury beats Usyk and Joshua beats Ngannou, the whole world is going to go, ‘Oh my God. It’s AJ-Fury, undisputed.
“So, yes, there’s a rematch clause, and people have got to be respected and contracted. But also, you know the vision of His Excellency. He’s going to want to deliver for fans worldwide the biggest fight of our generation, and it’ll be right on a plate in front of him. But Fury has got to beat Usyk first and AJ has got to beat Ngannou. As you saw with Wilder against Parker, things can happen,” Hearn said
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