One of the biggest fights of the year takes place Friday, March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when resurgent heavyweight Anthony Joshua takes on the former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in a boxing-rules bout.
Though Joshua is by far the more experienced boxer, having shared the ring with Wladimir Klitschko, Oleksandr Usyk (twice), and Joseph Parker, amongst others, Ngannou re-enters the stage after only making his pro debut against Tyson Fury in November, last year.
Fury may have won that fight with a 10-round decision but as Ngannou knocked Fury to the floor, against all odds, he arguably won the event.
And, considering his pedigree as one of the UFC’s fiercest strikers of all time, thanks to knockout wins over the likes of Alistair Overeem, Cain Velasquez, and Stipe Miocic, there is appetite to see Ngannou fight in boxing once again.
Against Fury, his abilities in the ring came as a surprise.
At a closed workout session for Heavy and other Las Vegas media ahead of the crossover bout, we observed a lackadaisical Ngannou who seemingly did not have the necessary speed, let alone technique, to beat an awkward boxer like Fury to the punch.
Though Ngannou never said otherwise, this may have all been a ploy as he boxed entirely different come fight night and looked far removed from what one might consider a first-time boxer.
When combined with an out-of-shape Fury, who appeared to overlook Ngannou as a credible challenger, it became a recipe for chaos.
That element of surprise is gone, now, as Joshua — and, really, the boxing community at large — know what to expect from Ngannou.
However, he may well have one more trick up his sleeve.
Ngannou told Boxing News and other reporters Monday that training for Joshua has been easier than the camp for Fury.
“I do know my boxing has evolved, I’ll be training based off the experience I had in the last fight,” Ngannou said.
“My last training camp was very important because it was even tougher than the [Fury] fight.
“This one, and this camp, even though it was shorter, it was easier.”
Ngannou, though, will not be thinking anything about Joshua will be easy — whether that’s the preparation, or the fight itself.
This is Because Ngannou Knows What’s at Stake
Should Ngannou shock the boxing world once more, and go from winning the event to winning the actual fight against Joshua, then he’ll likely book himself a shot at the sport’s grandest prize — the undisputed heavyweight championship.
Two of the other big-name fighters in the division are Fury, who Ngannou has already fought, and Usyk, compete in a two-fight rivalry this year to determine who the No.1 heavyweight in the division — and, likely, for the last 20 years.
It is not out of the question that, whoever wins, could be a viable opponent for Ngannou should he slump Joshua.
When an injury to Fury in February postponed the Usyk fight, Ngannou posted on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, that he’d happily step in to fight for the undisputed title.
Though that never ended up happening, a victory on Friday will likely see him do just that in his next boxing match.
Joshua, Naturally, Has Other Plans
When speaking to Sky Sports on Sunday, Joshua said he’s “feeling very strong, and strong enough to get the job done.”
He added that, when it comes to his mentality, he’s “ready for war.”
It’s a battle, he said, he can win as he “can knock him out, definitely.”
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Francis Ngannou May be up to His Old Tricks Ahead of Anthony Joshua Fight