Francis Ngannou sounded confident today in their kickoff press conference, talking about his plans to upset the experienced Anthony Joshua in their ten round heavyweight clash on March 8th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ngannou (0-1) admits that he’s a “beginner,” but he says he’s going to train hard and be ready to send Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) in their headliner.
The former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou states that after he defeats the former two-time champion, Joshua, he’s going to fight for the undisputed championship against the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk winner and capture the four belts in a historic fight.
Hearn Predicts Success for AJ
“This man is going to be the undisputed heavyweight champion, I truly believe it, but he’s doing it the difficult way, going through obstacles or some might call an unmovable objects to this man on my left, a giant of a man. A former UFC champion, but now a man we take very serious in the sport of boxing,” said Eddie Hearn, talking about Anthony Joshua during today’s kickoff press conference for his fight against Francis Ngannou on March 8th.
Hearn feels that Ngannou is a measuring stick that Joshua can use to show the boxing world how much better he is than WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
If Joshua can knock out Ngannou or put on a masterclass performance, winning a wide ten-round unanimous decision, he will have proven to the fans that he’s a better fighter than Fury.
Joshua may not prove that he’s the best in the world because he’s already been twice beaten by Oleksandr Usyk, but he can show that he’s superior to Fury without fighting him.
“This is another fantastic fight for Riyadh season,” Hearn continued about the Joshua vs. Ngannou 10 round clash.
“It was no surprise with the Tyson Fury fight. We told you all from day one what was going to happen,” said Ngannou’s trainer Dewey Cooper. “The same thing applies here. We expect fire, but the flaming fists of Francis will finish Joshua on March 8th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Francis Ngannou’s Underdog Mindset
“I’ve been listening to Eddie [Hearn] praise me, but I’m not sure if he’s trying to catch me asleep,” said Ngannou. “That’s not going to happen. I’m not a beginner. I’m going to train really hard as the underdog and come here to win the fight.”
It would be a good idea for Ngannou to listen to Hearn flatter him because he might be trying to play mind tricks on him, hoping that he’ll take it easy on Joshua and not unload on him with his full power on March 8th.
Hearn got on IBF, WBC & WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev’s bad side during the build-up for his fight last Saturday, predicting he was going to KO him, and it seemed to motivate him and ended up destroying Callum in seven rounds.
With Ngannou, Hearn is using a different tactic, smothering him with compliments, trying to get him to be friendly, and then maybe he’ll go easy on Joshua.
“I know where I’m at. I’m just a beginner, but I’m getting better and better,” said Ngannou. “That’s how I see things. I’m prepared for a hard fight. Yes, the Tyson Fury fight was great, but that was in the past. I have a new challenge in front of me.
“I take it more serious than I did before because there’s something more on the line, which is the undisputed. So, let’s see. Maybe I’ll do something that nobody has done before.
“I think I have the tools to do that, starting with a win over AJ on March 8th, which is going to be a big fight. Not an easy one and a possible one, and I’m going to take that,” said Ngannou.
