Former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou has declared that he can knock out his next opponent, Anthony Joshua, or just about anyone in the boxing heavyweight division. He made this known just a few days before he climbed the ring for his second professional boxing match.
Although there is no belt or title at stake for this fight, it is one of the most anticipated matches of the year, given the reputation of the two fighters. Ngannuo’s lack of an extensive boxing history means little as he has proven himself in a similar combat sport. His first boxing match, which ended as a loss, saw him win a lot of boxing fans over, some of whom felt he should have won the match against heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Speaking of Fury, Ngannou revealed recently in an interview that he is training for the Joshua clash the same way he trained for Fury. Despite the loss, Ngannou seemed to enjoy the fight better than the winner and looked unshaken at the end. So, clearly, the training he underwent before he faced Fury must have been quite effective. On that matter, he said, “Fury is very slick. He has a lot of footwork, body movement. But, at the end of the day, it’s the same. What I trained for Fury, the same will be for Joshua. You just have to notice his power and strength. I think it’s basically the same thing with footwork and all that stuff.”
Ngannou seems to have sized up his new opponent already may have already drafted a plan on how he will win, which may include knocking out Joshua: “I believe if I land on anyone, I will knock them out. The question is, how to land? That’s the hardest thing.
“Almost everyone in this division can knock anyone out, but how do you land or carry that power and energy from first round to fifth round to 10 rounds and still hit someone hard or knock somebody out after all the fatigue? It’s a chess game.”
On what to expect this Friday, he said: “This Friday it’s going to go down, so I can’t wait for the opportunity to show my skills and combat this person who thinks he can knock me out.”
Talking tough about taking on a two-time heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist can only come from a place of confidence and Ngannou believes he can back up his talk on the ring. While a Joshua-win might not cause much ripple, Ngannou winning would surely shake the heavyweight division and lead to some unexpected features. By Saturday, we would know what comes after these two professionals meet.
Leon Osamor
