Once again, the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will participate in a high-profile boxing match when he faces former two-time unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on Friday, March 8th, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Three months ago, Ngannou made his pro boxing debut, and prior to the bout, some boxing pundits labeled it a mismatch and a freak show. Now, Ngannou is set to step back inside the squared circle on March 8th, and this time, the boxing community is intrigued and looking forward to this particular event.
On October 28, 2023, Francis Ngannou made his boxing debut against the undefeated WBC world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Everyone assumed that once the bell rang, Fury would give Ngannou a boxing lesson, but things didn’t go according to plan.
In the opening round of the scheduled 10-round fight, Ngannou came out using feints, and attempting to establish the jab to the body. In the closing seconds of the first round, Fury landed a big overhand right.
Early in the second round, Ngannou landed a solid left hand followed by a short uppercut. Fury switched to southpaw in an attempt to confuse his inexperienced opponent, but Ngannou countered Fury’s move by also switching to the southpaw stance.
In the closing minute of round number three, Francis Ngannou landed a counter left-hand shot that sent the WBC heavyweight champion down to the canvas. Fury was able to get up and survive the remainder of the round.
For the duration of the bout, Fury experienced success by using movement and landing the one-two combination. Ngannou landed solid power shots throughout the bout, and at the conclusion of ten rounds, one judge scored the fight 94-95 for Ngannou, but that card was overruled as the other two judges scored the bout 96-93 and 95-94 in favor of Tyson Fury.
The former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (0-1) loss his debut as a pro boxer, but his success came in the form of a moral victory. Ngannou exceeded all expectations as he fell short to the WBC world heavyweight champion by a very narrow split-decision.
Due to his extraordinary effort, Francis Ngannou was awarded a top 10 ranking by the WBC. In addition to his ranking, Ngannou has also received the opportunity to face a man who is a former two-time unified world heavyweight champion.
On Friday, March 8th, Francis Ngannou will battle the WBC’s number one contender, Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs). In Ngannou’s debut, the boxing community was very skeptical in regards to his chance of winning, but this time around, some members of the community believe Ngannou will pull off the upset.
More is expected of Ngannou because he showed that he’s more than just a power puncher. In his bout against Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou showed ring intelligence and boxing instincts. In the first half of the bout, Ngannou did a good job of controlling Fury’s lead hand, and setting up his power shots.
Another reason why Ngannou has a legitimate chance of pulling off the upset is due to his opponent. Back in June 2019, Andy Ruiz knocked Anthony Joshua down four times as he went on to score a 7th-round TKO victory.
Many believe Anthony Joshua has been timid since the TKO loss to Ruiz. The loss affected Joshua mentally, and at times, when Joshua’s in the ring, he resembles a tactical, safety-first type of fighter.
When Anthony Joshua faces Francis Ngannou, he will definitely have to respect Ngannou’s punching power. Ngannou was able to score a knockdown against Fury in the third round of their fight, but Fury was able to get up. If Ngannou lands the same shot against Anthony Joshua, will Joshua be able to get up and regroup?
“In a fight, you try to hit somebody in the chin or wherever you can hit him, right? Yes, I heard that he doesn’t have a chin. I don’t know if it’s true or not. We’re going to find out. I hope I have an opportunity to test that out. That’s my wish, that’s what I’m wishing for,” Ngannou stated during their first press conference.
If Ngannou wishes to test Joshua’s chin, he will have to be efficient in cutting the ring off and controlling the range of the fight. If Joshua’s chin fails the test, Francis Ngannou will score a massive upset, and for his third career bout, he will have the opportunity to fight for the undisputed heavyweight crown.
