Hearn fears Tyson Fury is ‘shot’ and his chin may be ‘gone’ as he reveals AJ could have fought Ngannou before rival

EDDIE HEARN reckons Tyson Fury‘s best days might very well be behind him.

The WBC heavyweight champion is still unbeaten in his 15-year-long professional career but has taken a lot of punishment in recent years.

Tyson Fury has been dropped five times in his last eight fightsGETTY

The WBC heavyweight champ was dropped by boxing novice Francis Ngannou in their crossover clash last OctoberGETTY

Eddie Hearn reckons The Gypsy King’s punch resistance might be goneALAMY

Fury, 35, has been dropped five times in his last eight fights – with four of the brutal knockdowns being dished out by rival Deontay Wilder.

The most recent of those knockdowns came at the hands of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who was making his pro boxing debut in their Saudi showdown last October.

And that knockdown has Hearn wondering if Fury’s punch resistance is gone ahead of his undisputed clash with Oleksandr Usyk next month.

He told The Mirror: “He dropped Fury and that gave him credibility. What we don’t know is was it a one-off?

“But we know the confidence he has from that fight will push him on in this fight.

“But we’ve seen him now and Ben Davison has 10 rounds to come up with a gameplan.

“Maybe [Fury] is a shot fighter, we’ll find out on February 17.

“It’s very difficult to imagine going into a fight having no idea what the other guy is going to do.

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“You’ve got to figure it out from the first bell.

“How big a puncher is Ngannou? People tell us he’s a monstrous puncher but is Fury’s chin going? We’ll have to find out.”

Hearn’s long-time client and pal Anthony Joshua will look to dispose of Ngannou in better fashion than Fury when they clash in Riyadh on March 8.

And the Matchroom Boxing chief has revealed AJ could have fought The Predator before Fury got his hands on him

He said: “We had the opportunity to fight Ngannou before but AJ didn’t want to do it.

“He said he is a serious guy who wants to win a heavyweight championship.

“But I thought Ngannou beat Fury, if he didnt, it was a draw, or he lost by a round, it was that close.”

Joshua, 34, is refusing to underestimate Ngannou after seeing him embarrass Fury by putting him on his backside.

He said: “If Tyson underestimated Ngannou, I sure won’t. Francis has lost the element of surprise with me.

“We knew Francis had a reputation as the biggest puncher in the world but the surprise was how well he boxed.

“He was exceptional on the inside and made life very complicated for Tyson.

“So much so that I do belong to the opinion that he beat Fury.”

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Anthony Joshua will face Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on March 8[/caption]