Eddie Hearn has shared his predictions for the amount of Pay Per View buys Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou will achieve.
Saturday the 8th of March see’s Anthony Joshua take on Francis Ngannou. It’s no surprise that the eagerly awaited bout between the two chiselled giants is gaining more attention as the event draws closer. Matchroom Boxing supremo Eddie Hearn is confident that the fight achieves better numbers than Ngannou’s first foray into the ranks of professional boxing against Unified Champion Tyson Fury.
Anthony Joshua:
Anthony “AJ” Joshua (27-3) will be looking to put on a show against the Cameroonian fighter in the latest instalment of Riyadh Season. Joshua who is currently experiencing an impressive return to form since his back to back defeats to Oleksander Usyk. With three wins on the bounce, including an impressive stoppage of Robert Helenius and more recently forcing Otto Wallin to retire on his stool after the 5th round of a very one sided fight. AJ is aware of the threat that is in front of him as well what is at stake if fails to beat the former UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Whilst Joshua is no stranger to criticism and it could be argued he is under appreciated with British boxing fans. Following his demolition of Wallin his popularity began to rise again. A win over Ngannou will certainly take his popular to new heights, leaving fans desperate to see him face off with Tyson Fury.
Francis Ngannou:
Francis burst on to the boxing scene fighting Tyson Fury in his debut boxing match. The opening bout of Riyadh Season saw Francis Ngannou shock the world. Dropping Fury in what many thought would be a one-sided victory for the “Gypsy King”. Tyson did go on the win the fight via a controversial split decision. With much criticism from both fans and pundits.
The pressure will be on for both fighters with a victory earning them the right to challenge for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship. Not bad for a fighter who has only boxed professional once. Anthony Joshua on the other hand has long craved becoming Undisputed Champion. Beating Ngannou will see him finally be able to attempt the rare feat. If AJ is successful in putting on a show this will also place the pressure on Fury to impress against Usyk. With their resumes long being compared a win for both against common opponents will only heat up the debates more.
Will Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou Pull In Big PPV Numbers for Boxing?
Eddie Hearn has stated this is no push over fight for Anthony Joshua and he has to be at its best to beat Ngannou. Talking to Seconds Out Eddie Hearn went on to say, “I expect Joshua to do a number on him (Ngannou)”. Hearn predicts the fight breaches the magic 1,000,000 PPV buys. A bold statement when considering Fury vs Ngannou sold 70,000 with Fury been the much bigger star on American soil.
Although it has to be taken into account that there is far more attention around Ngannou following his contested defeat to Fury. Which is almost certain to boost PPV buys. Eddie Hearn rightly pointing out that the fight reaches out to MMA fans, Boxing Fans and the ever important causal viewer.
Who wins Francis Ngannou or Anthony Joshua? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
