Anthony Joshua is open to the prospect of fighting Francis Ngannou after the MMA fighter troubled Tyson Fury in their weekend bout in Riyadh.
Ngannou, who floored WBC champion Fury in the third round and lost on a split decision, is on the lookout for his next boxing opponent.
And Joshua's promoter Hearn told BBC Radio 5 Live: “As we start to plan AJ’s next six to 12 months we just want to know if that is an option.
“We could have that event in Saudi Arabia or other countries in the Middle East. Africa sounds incredible. Can they come up with the money to do it? I don’t know.
“All of a sudden that fight between two giants – they’re carved out of stone – it becomes a massive fight. We’re definitely willing to consider it.”
Joshua is on the lookout for a new opponent after beating Robert Helenius over seven rounds back in August, and Hearn is eyeing a pre-Christmas date as a stepping stone to eventually fighting Fury.
“It’s seven weeks on Saturday, AJ wants to fight on December 23,” he said. “We appreciate it won’t be a mega-fight. He wanted to box three times this year.”
Hearn said he was even more convinced that Joshua would win an all-British super-fight after Fury surprisingly struggled against Ngannou.
“I’ve always been convinced AJ beats Tyson Fury but, after watching that fight, now I’m so sure,” he said.
“I don’t believe his punch resistance is quite the same, I don’t believe he is necessarily the same fighter. Maybe the fights with Deontay Wilder took something out of him.”
