29 February 2024 , 15:01
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Francis Ngannou has been told he has the ability to bully Anthony Joshua around the ring in their boxing showdown.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou fights for the second time as a professional boxer when he faces Joshua next week in Saudi Arabia. Ngannou shocked the boxing world in his ring debut last October when he dropped Tyson Fury and only lost by a single point in a controversial decision.
Ngannou has questioned Joshua's resilience as he doesn't think the Brit will be able to get up from a similar punch Fury took in their fight. UFC legend Dan Hardy thinks that Ngannou has lost the surprise element for his fight with Joshua but the Cameroonian will now have more confidence than he did before his fight with Fury.
“I absolutely think he can stop AJ,” Hardy told . “He’s lost the surprise element that he had in the Tyson Fury fight, AJ is going to have watched that fight and studied it, or at least his camp will. They will know what they’re dealing with and will have a lot of respect for what Ngannou brings to the table.
“Ngannou will also be more confident than he was in the Fury fight. I think he will be a bit more of a bully in this fight, I think he can push AJ a bit more. If he catches AJ with that exact punch he put Fury down, AJ might get back up off the canvas and move around for the rest of the fight. He might not be as confident or as willing to engage as Fury was.
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“Fury kind of looked at his corner like ‘Would you look at that? He put me on the canvas.’ AJ’s look to his corner is going to be ‘Oh my goodness guys, the worst is happening.’ I don’t know if AJ has got the same kind of ability to regroup mentally if he hits the canvas like Fury did. Nobody is going to undermine Fury's mental fortitude, I don't know if I can say the same about AJ."
The winner of Joshua and Ngannou's fight has been promised a shot at the undisputed heavyweight world titles, which Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are competing for on May 18. Ngannou isn't interested in adding more belts to his resume but does want the chance to avenge his defeat to Fury.