'Of course' - Francis Ngannou gives bold prediction for Anthony Joshua fight and makes Tyson Fury admission

'Of course' - Francis Ngannou gives bold prediction for Anthony Joshua fight and makes Tyson Fury admission

WATCH NOW: Sports round-up ahead of Francis Ngannou's fight against Anthony Joshua

Lewis Winter

By Lewis Winter


Published: 04/03/2024

- 16:22

The former UFC star will battle it out with the ex-Olympic champion in Riyadh on Friday

Francis Ngannou insists there is no reason why he cannot knock Anthony Joshua out in Friday's huge fight in Saudi Arabia.

The Cameroon-born fighter admits he has not prepared any differently to face Joshua than he did for his debut boxing match against Tyson Fury.


Ngannou almost caused one of the biggest upsets in boxing history when he fought Fury in Riyadh last October.

The 37-year-old floored the Gypsy King in the third round and only lost the match via a split decision, a result many believed was the wrong outcome.

Francis Ngannou and Anthony Joshua

Francis Ngannou believes he can knock out Anthony Joshua on Friday

Getty

The former MMA star will take on Joshua in his second boxing match as the Brit enters the ring for the fourth time since last April.

Ngannou finished his training camp last week and he is raring to go for Friday's encounter.

He told Sky Sports: "I'm feeling good. I'm very happy and very excited.

"It's been a tough eight weeks, so to get here I feel like I did everything that should have been done. It's amazing and I can't wait for the fight now."

Ngannou sees similarities between Fury and Joshua and says he has not changed his approach from his debut match.

He said: "Tyson Fury is very slick. He has a lot of footwork, body movement. But, at the end of the day, I think it's the same.

"When you have trained for Tyson Fury, the same thing will go for Anthony Joshua.

"You just have to notice his power punch, his strong punch. I think it's basically the same thing with footwork and all that stuff."

Ngannou was unable to knock out Fury, who is yet to lose in his professional career.

Joshua has lost three times and suffered a TKO in his defeat against Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019.

Ngannou has full belief that he can knock the 34-year-old out, saying: "Of course [I can knock Joshua out]!

"I believe if I land on anyone, I will knock them out. The question is how to land? That's the hardest thing.

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Francis Ngannou

​Francis Ngannou has not trained any differently from his fight with Tyson Fury

Sky Sports

"Almost everyone in this division can knock anyone out, but how do you land or carry that power and energy from first round to the fifth round to 10 rounds and still hit someone hard or knock somebody out after all the fatigue?

"It's a chess game."

Ngannou has played down any concerns about his lack of boxing experience and insists he has the natural ability to fight.

He said: "I didn't have any experience in boxing but don't make any mistake, I've had a lot of experience in life and a lot of experience fighting.

Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury

Francis Ngannou almost pulled off a huge upset against Tyson Fury

Getty

"I've built my fighting spirit as high as anyone else. It wasn't a concern for me that I know I don't have any boxing experience.

"But I know I can fight. It's fighting instinct and I've heard somewhere that you are born a fighter, you don't become a fighter."

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