Eddie Hearn: Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua Fight Would Be 'Absolutely Massive'

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn believes Francis Ngannou needs to strike while the iron is hot on the heels of his high-profile encounter with Tyson Fury.

Hearn said Monday on The MMA Hour that Ngannou should line up a rematch with Fury or challenge another top heavyweight such as Anthony Joshua, which would be an "absolutely massive" event:

For his part, Ngannou said he has had contact with Deontay Wilder about a fight under MMA rules:

Given the massive gulf in boxing experience between he and Fury, many fans wrote Ngannou off heading into last Saturday's clash. Instead, he was a game challenger and sent Fury to the canvas in the third round.

Per CompuBox, the PFL star connected with 59 total punches to 71 for Fury and had a slight 37-32 edge in power punches.

ESPN's Marc Raimondi noted Ngannou received around $10 million from the crossover spectacle, and it stands to reason his paycheck would be even bigger now that he has proven himself in a boxing ring to some degree.

The PFL will be counting on the 37-year-old to make his debut for the promotion at some point, but it's not immediately clear how soon that will be.

Purely in terms of finances, fighting Joshua, Fury or Wilder is far and away his best move. Raimondi wrote how Ngannou's earnings against Fury were "exponentially more than he made in his UFC fights."

Turning down the opportunity will be a tough ask if a formal offer is made.