Eddie Hearn responds to Francis Ngannou claiming he was 'tricked' ahead of Anthony Joshua fight

Eddie Hearn has responded to Francis Ngannou claiming he was 'tricked' ahead of his fight against Anthony Joshua.

Ngannou suffered a brutal second-round defeat to Joshua in their Saudi Arabia showdown earlier this month.

Joshua floored Ngannou twice before landing a devastating blow to secure a big win.

After the fight, the former UFC heavyweight champion made a revelation as he explained the reason behind his crushing defeat.

On Monday, he then claimed he was 'tricked' ahead of entering the ring against 'AJ'.

"They come to the locker around 1 and Joshua [was just arriving around 1]," he told Ariel Helwani. "I'm like, 'OK, we are fighting at the same time, how come I have a pickup time?'

"We received a schedule, an email, and then for some reason I was there at least one hour before. But for the fight, at least two hours beforehand. They do this kind of trick to get you tired. I was like cool, I was like, 'Bro, it's OK'."

Hearn, who promotes Joshua, has hit back at Ngannou's statement as he left a comment on Pro Boxing Fans' post on Instagram.

"I'm not sure he has come round yet," he wrote.

Image: Instagram

The Matchroom chief is clearly unhappy at the way Ngannou is conducting himself following his second defeat in the world of boxing.

Speaking after Joshua's demolition job, the English promoter exclaimed: "You are looking at the baddest man on the planet. The No 1 heavyweight in the world.

"There's a brilliant fighter down there in Tyson Fury. Please beat Oleksandr Usyk, because you will get the biggest fight of all time."

Despite suffering back-to-back defeats following his UFC departure, 'The Predator' is still looking to pursue a career in boxing, admitting the sport 'owes him something'.

As for Joshua, he could be in line to face the winner of the undisputed showdown between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.