Francis Ngannou, the once-crowned UFC heavyweight king, is excited to fight Anthony Joshua. His mission? To send Joshua into dreamland in the heart of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 8. Don’t expect him to tiptoe around; he’s charging in full throttle.
Back in October, Ngannou entered the ring in a nail-biting showdown with Tyson Fury, WBC’s heavyweight juggernaut. He came close to glory, even flooring Fury, but ended up chewing on the tough cookie of a split decision defeat. Now, he’s zeroed in on turning the tables against Joshua, determined to make the judges mere spectators.
“I’m pretty sure I’ll be sending Joshua to the mat,” Ngannou mused on The MMA Hour. “He seems more knock-out-able than Fury. Sure, he’s no pushover, but dropping him seems less of a Herculean task, and him getting up? Much tougher than Fury.”
Ngannou tossed a nod to Joshua’s recent triumph over Otto Wallin, but with a cheeky hint that Wallin was a walk in the park compared to the tempest he’s about to unleash.
“Joshua was on fire against Wallin,” Ngannou remarked with a smirk. “Kudos to him. Quick and sharp.
“But Wallin? That was a picnic compared to the hurricane I’m bringing.”
Ngannou’s strategy? Raw power and unleashed fury. “I’m not a sitting duck. I’m bringing the storm, and Joshua better be ready.”
Currently in Paris, Ngannou is prepping to move his training camp to Saudi Arabia, sticking with his trusted squad from his Fury days. At 37, he’s brimming with confidence and a hunger to unleash his full potential in the squared circle.
“This is just me dipping my toes in boxing,” Ngannou proclaimed. “Still learning, still growing. The boxing scene hasn’t seen the full me yet. I’m just getting started.”
So, Ariel Helwani, the man with a microphone always at the ready, nudged Francis Ngannou about a potential rematch with Fury after Ngannou’s loss last October. Ngannou, with a grin wider than a heavyweight’s reach, spills the beans on The MMA Hour. “It’s in the cards,” he says, hinting at a tango with Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. But Ngannou, waiting in the wings for Fury, suddenly gets this golden ticket to fight Joshua and he’s like, “Heck yeah, I’m all in!” He reckons it doesn’t steal the thunder from a second go with Fury.
Ngannou tells Helwani he might have to sit tight till year’s end for another crack at Fury.
Hard to know how much Fury trained for Ngannou – he never looks is particularly great shape. However, I seriously doubt that he was in top shape for the fight. I believe Joshua will bring his “A” game and will handle Ngannou easily.