Anthony Joshua’s boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn has said that
the 27-year-old is open to the idea of fighting in Nigeria, reports
givemesport.com. Speaking to iFL TV, Hearn said: “I think Nigeria is probably
one of the front-runners.
“People have this perception that Nigeria is a place that
makes fire by rubbing twigs together. It’s a very powerful economy with a huge
middle-class sector and actually it’s a country that has a number of major
events already – particularly pop music concerts.
“The infrastructure is there. Obviously it’s difficult for
us because there’s never been a major fight before – but that’s challenging. I
like that.” AJ has hinted that he would be open to fighting in Nigeria,
especially as he spent so time there as a child.
The heavyweight boxer also has a tattoo of the country on
his arm and believes that it makes people relate to him. “When you are in sport
you become a representation of people.
“I’ve got it [an outline of Nigeria] tattooed on my arm, so
people can relate to me. I don’t know if [a fight there] will happen.” If, and
at the moment it’s a BIG if, Joshua/Klitschko does take place in Africa, it
would echo another mega fight that happened on the night of October 30, 1974,
the iconic Rumble in the Jungle bout between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali.
Widely regarded to be “arguably the greatest sporting event
of the 20th century” Foreman/Ali took place in Kinshasa, Zaire, now the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, and pitted former heavyweight champ Ali against George
Foreman.
At the time, Zaire was ruled by Joseph-Désiré Mobuto, a
dictator who wanted to project to the world that the land-locked African
country was a forward looking state and not the vicious and greedy dictatorship
it actually was.
Mobuto was not pleased when Muhammad Ali decided to tell
heavyweight champ Foreman that “My African brothers is going to boil you in the
pot.”
Not sure that’s the image Mobuto was aiming for when he
allowed the fight to take place, but there you go. The fight was the
introduction of a new tactic by Ali, the iconic ‘rope a dope’ for which he is
still remembered.
After taking a hell of a beating throughout the bout, Ali
decided to go on the offensive once the giant Foreman had tired himself out,
and then in a flurry of punches, sent ‘Big George’ to the canvas.
If Joshua-Klitschko do go to Africa and the bout is anywhere
near as action packed as Zaire 1974, then Hearn is on to a winner.
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