Anthony Joshua feels underestimated by fighters who think that he’s mentally weak and will fold under pressure. Joshua’s career is on the line for his fight with Francis Ngannou because this isn’t a world-class figure he’s facing.
Many fans have that the 34-year-old Joshua is a mental basketcase, ready to crumble if he’s met with adversity.
While the Eddie Hearn-promote AJ has looked good lately, a lot of fans view that as a product of his wily, silver-tongued promoter matching him against non-hopers, stiffs to try and bring him back artificially., matching him against these three:
– Otto Wallin
– Robert Helenius
– Jermaine Franklin
Hearn’s decision to have Joshua fight the boxing novice Ngannou, a fighter with just one fight in the pro ranks, is viewed by non-gullible fans as more trickery by the promoter to make him look good and resurrect his career, albeit artificially by continuing to feed him weaker opposition.
The former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) wants his doubters to know that he’s a dangerous puncher and has done damage to several of his opponents, notably Dillian Whyte, Robert Helenius, and Otto Wallin.
Joshua wants his doubters to know that he’s still a dangerous fighter, and he plans on proving that on March 8th when he faces MMA fighter Francis Ngannou in a ten-round crossover fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Although Ngannou lost his only fight as a boxer, losing to Tyson Fury last October, he’s a respectable opponent that Joshua is taking seriously, and he believes he can show the fans that he’s still a top-echelon fighter by defeating the 37-year-old.
“I think people underestimate me; they think they can just put pressure on me because I am not mentally all that,” said Anthony Joshua to Boxing News. “As much as there is hype around Ngannou, he still has to come through me. I am a power puncher myself.”
Ngannou is going to be testing Joshua early and often on March 8th, making this a risky fight for him.
“I break peoples’ eye sockets. I broke Otto Wallin’s nose and eye socket, Robert Helenius got sparked out, and I ruined Dillian Whyte’s career with an uppercut,” Joshua continued. “The list goes on. He [Ngannou] has to deal with me, and that is what is going to make it a good fight.”
