Francis Ngannou branded a "one-trick pony" ahead of Anthony Joshua fight

01 February 2024 , 13:21

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Francis Ngannou branded a "one-trick pony" ahead of Anthony Joshua fight

Francis Ngannou has been told he won't have the same success against Anthony Joshua he enjoyed in his fight with Tyson Fury.

Former UFC champion Ngannou gave Fury a run for his money when he made his boxing debut against the Brit last October. Fury was expected to breeze past Ngannou to set up an undisputed fight against Oleksandr Usyk later that year, but the heavyweight champion was dropped and only beat Ngannou by a single point in a controversial decision.

Ngannou is back in the ring for the second time next month against Joshua and the winner of their fight has been guaranteed an undisputed world title shot against Fury or Usyk. Former two-weight world champion Paulie Malignaggi believes Ngannou has been figured out after his fight against Fury and won't look as good against Joshua.

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“He [Ngannou] is sort of a one-trick pony, he is not a boxer, he’s done very well but he is not a boxer,” Malignaggi told ProBox TV. "When you back up a puncher, even a boxer who is a puncher, typically they end up running out of bullets because they are reliant on their heavy punching power.

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“If Joshua starts to back up Ngannou with a solid jab, throwing him off rhythm with that stuff that he does when he is sharp, intimidates him with his own power because Joshua does have good power, he is going to make Ngannou inept and dominate that fight.”

Ngannou has questioned Joshua's ability to take a punch and thinks he will be a lot tougher than Otto Wallin, who 'AJ' easily beat just days before Christmas. The former UFC champion was impressed by Joshua's recent knockout win but insisted the fight didn't prove much as the Brit was barely hit.

“He looked amazing, respect to him and congratulations to him. He was doing his job properly, his speed was there and he was very sharp. On the other hand, I think there wasn’t a response in front of him. I think I will have a better response in front of him that will put him in uncomfortable situations and positions," Ngannou said on The MMA Hour.

Harry Davies