Trainer Andy Lee says it’s not a foregone conclusion that former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will defeat Francis Ngannou in their March 8th fight because he’s going up against a fighter with size, toughness, and power.
Lee, who trains WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, notes that the ‘Gypsy King’ hit Ngannou with an elbow and he didn’t even flinch last October. Ngannou can take a punch, and he’s got power, which could prove to be Joshua’s undoing in their headliner at the Kingdom Arena in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.
Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) will have plenty of tapes to watch from Ngannou’s fight against Fury last October, but that may not help him if his fragile chin hasn’t improved in the last five years since he was starched by Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019.
AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn has done a bang-up job, giving him away from the dangerous opposition since his loss to Ruiz, and he’s responded well, winning four out of his last six fights. That won’t help him when he gets back in the fire against Ngannou on March 8th.
If Joshua’s chin hasn’t become hardened over the years, he could melt away under the withering fire from Ngannou. It won’t be the end of the world for Joshua if he loses, but it’ll make his promoter Hearn’s job a little harder. He’ll have to rebuild Joshua again with more Jermaine Franklin and Otto Wallin-level fighters.
“It’s going to be interesting because Ngannou put on such a great performance against Tyson [Fury]. All the unknowns that Tyson went up against have been dispelled now because the elements of surprise for Ngannou is gone,” said trainer Andy Lee to Boxing Social, talking about the March 8th heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia.
“He [Fury] trained hard for that fight, but you got to give Ngannou credit. He was a lot more savvy and better at boxing than anyone would have given him credit. He’s quite clever and patient, too. Don’t underestimate his 280 lbs. It’s solid muscle.
“He can punch. So, even though Joshua with his pedigree of being a really outstanding boxer-puncher, athlete, Olympic champion, unified champion, you got to favor him. It’s not a forgone conclusion [that Joshua will win] because Ngannou has all those attributes,” said Lee.
