Promoter Eddie Hearn claimed Anthony Joshua's second-round knockout win over Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, “shocked the world”.
It's understandable why Hearn has exaggerated praise for the 34-year-old Joshua. Most recently, after his second loss to Oleksandr Usyk, those in the boxing world considered him mentally cleansed. Thanks to the careful guidance of promoter Hearn, Joshua returned and regained his confidence.
Hearn praised AJ's victory over Ngannou, saying it was the best knockout victory since the “birth of boxing.”
To become the heavyweight champion, AJ must defeat the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk. But until then, he's easily the most popular heavyweight, and it's all about the money that really matters.
exaggeration and high praise
Promoter Eddie Hearn said of Anthony Joshua's victory over Francis Ngannou last Friday night: “The No. 1 heavyweight on the planet shocked the world with his ferocity and superstardom. It was a performance that I gave,” he told iFL TV.
“Some say it's the knockout of the year. We've been saying it's the knockout since the birth of boxing. I thought I'd stop him, but I thought it was going to be a while. It was a great performance. Anthony Joshua's comeback is It's incredible. I'm talking about spiritual recovery.”
We always knew that Joshua never struggled mentally when facing opponents he could beat. He struggled in adversity against Usyk and Andy Ruiz. He lost badly against both of these heavyweights, losing in disappointing performances.
“I'm talking about a comeback from criticism. I'm talking about a return to form. Should he retire now or is he the best heavyweight in the world? That's 2 It’s one of those things,” Hearn said of Joshua.
story of salvation
“I mean, what this guy did to get back to where he is now is unbelievable. Like a broken guy after the second Usyk fight, looking for answers, looking for form. He finds it. He worked so hard for it. He never stopped believing. He never stopped working. He's a really good kid, AJ.
When asked where he thought Oleksandr Usyk was ranked, Hearn replied: “In my opinion, Usyk is number one.”
Joshua still has a ways to go before full redemption, but he's very close to it. A fight against Fury or Usyk later this year would allow him to come back and prove he deserves to be number one in the division.
