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Francis Ngannou confident his power can get the job done against Anthony Joshua: ‘If I land on anybody, I’ll knock him out’

Francis Ngannou believes he has the power to knock out anyone, including Anthony Joshua. On Friday, March 8, the…

Francis Ngannou believes he has the power to knock out anyone, including Anthony Joshua.

On Friday, March 8, the former UFC heavyweight champion returns to the boxing ring five months removed from his critically acclaimed showing against WBC titleholder Tyson Fury in October. Though he came up short, suffering a razor-close and highly contestable split decision, Ngannou’s performance was good enough to land him in the No. 10 spot on the WBC rankings.

Returning to Riyadh, Ngannou will face top-ranked contender Anthony Joshua in a bout appropriately dubbed Knockout Chaos.

Speaking with Andy Scott of Sky Sports days before their highly anticipated scrap at Kingdom Arena, Ngannou shared some insight into his training camp and how he’s feeling before once again strapping on the eight-ounce gloves.

“I’m feeling good. Very excited,” Ngannou said. “I finished my training yesterday. It’s been a tough eight weeks to get here and feeling like you’ve done everything that you should have done is amazing. I can’t wait for the fight now.”

Ngannou’s performance against Tyson Fury was nothing short of spectacular. Going into the contest as a massive underdog, ‘The Predator’ had no problem standing and trading with ‘The Gypsy King’ for 10 rounds, and even scored a knockdown against the P4P great in the third round.

Asked how he plans to prepare for Joshua in contrast to how he trained for the Fury fight, Ngannou said:

“Tyson Fury is very slick. He has a lot of footwork and a lot of body movement, but at the end of the day, I think it’s the same. When you train for Tyson Fury, the same thing goes with Anthony Joshua. You just have to note his power punch, but I think it’s basically the same. Good footwork, step back. All that stuff.”

When it comes to power, few hit harder than Francis Ngannou. Between 2015 and 2022, he scored 12 victories under the UFC banner with 11 of them coming by way of knockout, including wins over former world champions Andrei Arlovski, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, and Stipe Miocic.

“I believe if I land on anybody, I’ll knock him out,” Ngannou added. “The question is, how to land? That’s the hardest thing. Everyone in this division… Almost everybody here can knock everyone out, but you learn how to carry that power and that energy from the first round to the fifth round and 10 rounds and still be able to hit somebody hard or knock somebody out after all the fatigue and everything. It’s a chess game.”

Knockout Chaos! Cinematic trailer for Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua goes full gamer mode

The official trailer for Francis Ngannou‘s return to the ring has been released. On Friday, March 8, the former…

The official trailer for Francis Ngannou‘s return to the ring has been released.

On Friday, March 8, the former UFC heavyweight world champion will return to the boxing ring five months removed from his critically acclaimed clash with ‘The Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury. This time, Ngannou will face the WBC’s top-ranked heavyweight contender — Anthony Joshua.

“Ready for the fight? Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou. A confrontation that shakes the earth with its knockout blows. Riyadh on Friday, March 8, at Kingdom Arena,” Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, wrote on X.

Francis Ngannou Plays the Role of underdog once again

Joshua will look for his fourth straight when he meets the Cameroonian combat sports star in Saudi Arabia. Joshua is 27-3 in his pro boxing career with 24 of his wins coming by way of knockout. Since coming up short against Oleksandr Usyk in back-to-back bouts, the Watford, England native has won three in a row, including a fifth-round TKO against Otto Wallin in the ‘Day of Reckoning‘ headliner late last year.

It will be Francis Ngannou’s sophomore appearance in the sweet science after coming up short in a razor-close split decision against the reigning WBC heavyweight champ. Despite the loss, Ngannou’s performance was strong enough to land him in the No. 10 spot on the WBC heavyweight rankings — setting the stage for his high-stakes scrap with Joshua.

Joshua goes into the contest as a -400 favorite while Ngannou once again takes the undog role, sitting at +300.

The event will air live worldwide on DAZN PPV for $39.99 (with subscription) and is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET.

Ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou reflects on Tyson Fury fight, mocks British star: ‘He’s a playboy’

Francis Ngannou offered his take on the differences between ‘The Gypsy King’ and his next opponent. After nearly ending…

Francis Ngannou offered his take on the differences between ‘The Gypsy King’ and his next opponent.

After nearly ending the undefeated reign of Tyson Fury in October, Francis Ngannou will return to the squared circle for a clash with the WBC’s top-ranked heavyweight contender, Anthony Joshua. The fight will go down on March 8, emanating from Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, the same venue that hosted Ngannou’s critically acclaimed professional boxing debut last year.

Ahead of his second fight in the sweet science, ‘The Predator’ shared his thoughts on the key differences between facing Fury and the former two-time unified champion.

”Anthony Joshua never trash talks, his personality is more serious, unlike Tyson Fury who is more like a playboy,” Ngannou told The Mirror. “I think when it comes to fighting, they both know how to fight and that’s what I’m focused on. He might have been nervous but that doesn’t mean anything. In fact, I think being nervous means he is taking things very seriously. It’s very important because he’s going to do his best to show up on the day with everything.”

Anthony Joshua Seeking his fourth straight win against Francis Ngannou

Anthony Joshua goes into the contest with a 27-3 record, 24 of those victories coming by way of knockout. After suffering back-to-back losses against Tyson Fury’s next opponent, Oleksandr Usyk, the Watford, England native has won three straight, including knockouts against Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin in his last two outings.

Ngannou, on the other hand, is just 0-1 as a professional boxer, but a strong debut performance and his undeniable drawing power have made him a priority opponent for many of the sports’ biggest stars.

Video – Former Anthony Joshua opponent Paul Butlin gets into heated confrontation while working as a bailiff

Paul Butlin, a British former boxing standout who competed against the likes of Anthony Joshua and Derek Chisora, is…

Paul Butlin, a British former boxing standout who competed against the likes of Anthony Joshua and Derek Chisora, is going viral after engaging in a heated confrontation while working as a bailiff.

In a video clip shared by Michael Benson of talkSport, the angry cameraman rages at Butlin for doing his job by delivering a letter to him regarding an outstanding fine that he refuses to pay. Unaware of who he is talking to, the man threatens to “punch the f*ck” out of Butlin and tells him “I’ll absolutely f*cking annihilate you.”

Butlin remained calm for the majority of the clip and even replied to the repeated verbal threats saying, “I’m not here to fight you, I’m not a fighter mate.”

Former heavyweight boxer Paul Butlin (who fought Anthony Joshua) is now working as a bailiff and has gone viral in this heated confrontation… pic.twitter.com/pDrfhpwwsj

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) February 7, 2024

The clip has amassed more than a million views on YouTube and has since been re-uploaded on TikTok where it has been viewed thousands more times.

Paul Butlin Sustained ‘One of the worst cuts’ Eddie Hearn has ever seen against Anthony Joshua

When Paul Butlin fought Anthony Joshua in 2013, it was only the second pro fight of Joshua’s career. Still, it only took Joshua 50 seconds into round two to finish the fight, leaving Butlin with one of the worst cuts British boxing promoter Eddie Hearn had ever seen from a punch.

Butlin also went the distance with Derek Chisora on two separate occasions. Chisora came out on top in both bouts but was later fined and suspended following their second meeting in 2009 after instant replay revealed that he had bit Butlin on the ear during a clinch in the fifth round.

Butlin retired from the sport in 2016 after going 14-24 with three wins by way of knockout. Two years before his retirement, he defeated Shane McPhilbin via disqualification to win the vacant Midlands Area heavyweight title.

Francis Ngannou sends chilling warning to Anthony Joshua ahead of boxing fight: ‘I’m going to take his soul’

Former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou has vowed to take Anthony Joshua’s “soul” in their March boxing match…

Former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou has vowed to take Anthony Joshua’s “soul” in their March boxing match in the MIddle East – as he prepares for his sophomore outing in the squared circle.

Ngannou, a former undisputed heavyweight titleholder under the UFC banner, makes his second outing in the boxing ring next month – returning in another high-profile fight as he takes on former two-time world championship holder, Joshua in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Returning to competition for the first time since last August, Batié knockout artist, Ngannou most recently turned in a controversial decision loss to unbeaten WBC heavyweight kingpin, Tyson Fury in the pair’s long-anticipated clash in the Middle East.

Scoring a massive knockdown early in the bout, Ngannou went on to drop a split decision loss to the Morecambe native in Saudi Arabia – postponing his planned December return against Oleksandr Usyk.

And since seeing his title unification bout with the Ukrainian moved, Fury suffered a nasty laceration after catching a stray elbow during sparring ahead of this month’s bout, which required switches – forcing the bout to be rescheduled for May.

Francis Ngannou vows to take the soul of Anthony Joshua

Figuring to find himself involved in a rematch against British star, Fury with a victory over the former’s compatriot, Joshua next month, PFL signing, Ngannou vowed to take the “soul” of the Watford native in the Middle East.

“Nothing is impossible, right?” Francis Ngannou told the High-Performance Podcast during a recent interview. “We don’t know the strength of Anthony Joshua but even though, I don’t believe he has that strength, but we’re going to find out in two months, we’re going to find out and I think the reverse is going to happen. I’m going to be taking his soul.”

Who wins next month in Saudi Arabia: Francis Ngannou or Anthony Joshua?

Exclusive – John Fury claims ex-UFC star Francis Ngannou is ‘A danger to every heavyweight in the division’

John Fury believes Francis Ngannou is a danger to every man in the heavyweight division. After dominating the world…

John Fury believes Francis Ngannou is a danger to every man in the heavyweight division.

After dominating the world of mixed martial arts, Ngannou made his professional boxing debut in October against perhaps the greatest pugilist on the planet today, Tyson Fury. Going into the bout, ‘The Predator’ was a massive underdog, and understandably so considering the creditials of his opposition. However, it took Ngannou a little less than three rounds to show the boxing world that he was for real.

In the third round, Ngannou sent the combat sports community to its knees as he blasted ‘The Gypsy King’ with a counter-left that sent the reigning WBC heavyweight titleholder to the canvas.

After 10 entertaining rounds of action, Fury skated by with a very contentious split-decision victory. But nobody was interested in talking about the Manchester native’s 34th straight win. Instead, they all marveled at the impressive showing that Ngannou delivered against ‘The King of the World.’ The performance was so sensational that the WBC ranked ‘The Predator’ as the No. 10 heavyweight in the world despite only having one fight and zero wins.

John Fury touts Francis Ngannou as major threat to boxing

Next, Francis Ngannou will face No. 1 ranked WBC contender Anthony Joshua on March 8 in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking with Murdo Todd in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, John Fury — who is sponsored by FreeBets, the father of heavyweight kingpin Tyson Fury, spoke about the danger that Ngannou brings to any man who dares step in front of him — including Joshua.

“He’s a danger to every heavyweight in the division,” Fury said. “I’m not saying he’s going to beat [Joshua], but if any man can, it’ll be him. He’s in front of you. He can punch. He’s a brave fella. He’s big and strong. You’ve got to have a set down there to mess with people like Ngannou and he brings a whole new level of boxing to A.J.

“The biggest opponent he’s faced. The strongest opponent he’s faced. And probably the hardest hitter he’s ever faced. And if he does detonate on you… Unless you’ve got a cast iron chin like Tyson and a desire like Tyson to win, you’re going to stay down.”

Making his MMA debut in 2013, Ngannou amassed a record of 17-3, including 12 wins under the UFC banner and an incredible 11 victories by way of knockout. He finished former UFC champions Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez in back-to-back bouts before eventually claiming his first world title with a second-round KO over the man many consider to be the UFC’s heavyweight GOAT, Stipe Miocic.

After a long and unsuccessful renegotiation with the UFC, Ngannou parted ways with the promotion in 2023 and signed with the Professional Fighters League a few months later. Ngannou is yet to make his first appearance inside the PFL Smart Cage and could very well hold off on making a return to MMA until 2025 so he can focus on his newly established pro boxing career.

“He’s a danger, man,” Fury added. “A danger to all of them. Any heavyweight in the world. Tyson’s extra special. That’s why he’s the king of the world. That’s why he’s unbeaten. That’s why he’s at the top of the game. Because he’s special. Even though people won’t accept he’s special. You’ll see how special Ngannou is when he fights other people.”

He continued, “Ngannou is a big strong fella. He’s muscly, but he can also move. He’s athletic and if you’re there, he’ll take the top of your head straight off. And don’t forget he’s a lot more powerful a man than any Andy Ruiz Jr. When he gets you in trouble, you’ll know about it and he won’t just do that with A.J. He’ll do it to anybody out there.”

Watch the full exclusive interview with John Fury below: