Hearn slams Ngannou over Joshua defeat excuse

Eddie Hearn has slammed Francis Ngannou for appearing to suggest that his demolishing defeat by Anthony Joshua was down to his early arrival at the arena.

Joshua knocked down the former UFC heavyweight champion three times in two rounds to secure a dominant victory in Saudi Arabia.

Ngannou, in a recent interview on the MMA Hour, said that he arrived at the Kingdom Arena, in Riyadh, two hours earlier than Joshua, appearing to suggest that this was a ‘trick’ to tire him out.

Joshua’s promoter Hearn has taken exception with the comments, suggesting the 37-year-old ‘should know better’.

You get your time, which is the ideal time that the organiser or the broadcaster would like you there, you make your own mind up.

“Some fighters like to get there three hours before, some like to get there an hour before, it all depends on the fighter.

“If AJ is told for example that “we want you there at 10 ‘o’clock” and we know that the fight is happening at 1am, then we would come a little bit later, because he doesn’t want to be hanging around that long.’

Hearn also reacted to a social media post which contained Ngannou’s comments, stating: “I’m not sure he has come round yet.”

Ngannou after the fight confessed that he couldn’t remember being knocked out by Joshua and that from going back to his stool in between the first and second rounds, he ‘wasn’t there anymore’.