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Anthony Joshua could revisit the Rumble in the Jungle as part of an \u201ciconic\u201d bout around the 50th anniversary of the legendary fight, says Eddie Hearn.<\/p>\n
Promoter Hearn says talks have taken place over the heavyweight contender fighting in Africa, and that government backing for an event is available.<\/p>\n
Joshua, 34, has Nigerian ancestry but has never fought on the continent.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s something that would be iconic for the sport,\u201d Hearn told\u00a0BBC World Service\u2019s Newsday\u00a0of the proposals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we\u2019re visiting these countries, there\u2019s government funding to stage these events.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes that isn\u2019t forthcoming in all areas but there have been discussions and I think it will happen in time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Muhammad Ali and George Foreman contested the heavyweight world championship in Zaire \u2013 now the Democratic Republic of Congo \u2013 in October 1974 in one of the greatest fights of all time.<\/p>\n
Both men were champions during the long careers that made them legends, with\u00a0Ali knocking out Foreman in the eighth round\u00a0to win the WBA, WBC and Ring titles.<\/p>\n
Joshua held the WBA belt for a combined total of almost four years and has been IBF, WBO and IBO champion, although he is currently aiming to win back the titles he\u00a0failed to regain from Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk\u00a0in Saudi Arabia in August 2022.<\/p>\n
The 2012 Olympic gold medallist, who grew up in London after his parents emigrated from Nigeria before he was born, remains one of the biggest ticket-sellers in the sport and has called himself \u201cproudly Nigerian and proudly British\u201d, sporting a tattoo of Africa with Nigeria outlined on his right shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith that anniversary approaching, we\u2019ve often talked about a big Anthony Joshua fight \u2013 even revisiting the famous scenes in Zaire of the Rumble in the Jungle,\u201d said Hearn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a couple of approaches. Obviously, Anthony Joshua \u2013 with his Nigerian descent \u2013 is always keen to visit and stage a major event there.<\/p>\n
\u201cVisually, it would be incredible and something Anthony would love to tick off the box before the end of his career.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite its lasting resonance, the Rumble in the Jungle remains the last time a fight of such scale took place in Africa.<\/p>\n
Ngannou fight on horizon?<\/h3>\n
Earlier in November, Hearn told BBC Sport he was exploring a potential fight between Joshua and former UFC champion Francis Ngannou as part of a plan for the next \u201csix to 12 months\u201d of Joshua\u2019s career.<\/p>\n
Like Joshua, Ngannou is a huge name in Africa \u2013 particularly in Cameroon, where he was born and took his first steps in combat sport before moving to Europe to fulfil his MMA dream.<\/p>\n
Ngannou\u00a0almost stunned WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury\u00a0on his professional boxing debut in October, losing on a controversial split decision in Saudi Arabia in a performance that has seen him ranked in the top 10 by the WBC and strengthened his chances of fights against established names such as Joshua.<\/p>\n
Speaking after that bout, Hearn suggested he was still exploring whether a fight in Africa was financially viable and said he had exchanged messages with Ngannou\u2019s camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of a sudden, that fight between two giants becomes a massive fight,\u201d said Hearn, describing Joshua and Ngannou as \u201ccarved out of stone\u201d. \u201cWe\u2019re definitely willing to consider it.\u201d<\/p>\n
After leaving the UFC at the start of 2023, Ngannou joined the Professional Fighters League, an MMA promotion with ambitions to expand to Africa.<\/p>\n
Ngannou is a minority equity owner and chairman of the newly created PFL Africa, which\u00a0PFL chief executive Peter Murray told BBC Sport will launch in 2025.<\/p>\n
The fighter known as \u2018The Predator\u2019 does not have a scheduled bout but has set his immediate sights on continuing in boxing and is also a fighter for the PFL.<\/p>\n
Joshua\u2019s next contest will be a non-title bout against Otto Wallin on 23 December in Saudi Arabia as a headliner alongside Deontay Wilder, the former WBC champion and a figure he has long been linked to a much-anticipated fight with.<\/p>\n
Wilder said last year that he\u00a0\u201cwould love\u201d to face Joshua in Africa.<\/p>\n
Next month\u2019s event, which has been titled \u2018Day of Reckoning\u2019 and is part of the annual Riyadh Season, will mark the third time Joshua has fought in Saudi Arabia since 2019.<\/p>\n
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