It’s a fight that a boxing die-hard would kill for. But it is also a fight that many would rather leave for their dreams. From one corner comes Anthony Joshua. A pedigreed Olympic gold medalist who later became a unified world champion. ‘AJ’ won the last three matches. From the opposite, arrives Francis Ngannou.
A one-match old boxing novice. He, however, comes off a nearly decade-long exemplary mixed martial arts career that saw him eventually become a world heavyweight champion. So what chance does ‘The Predator’ have against a seasoned boxer? Defying heavy odds, the Cameroonian-French fighter shook up Tyson Fury last October. So could he repeat the performance against Joshua, or better yet, go beyond? Can ‘AJ’ rely on his latest triumphs and cultivate the confidence to see him through Ngannou? The former super middleweight champion and International Hall of Fame inductee dove deep to see what might be in store for the former heavyweight champion.
So who’s the prey?
It was Carl Froch‘s turn. With nearly a month-and-a-half left for the big bout, the Englishman shared how he had been critical of it. When Francis Ngannou went against Tyson Fury, everyone’s opinion changed when they saw the way he fought. In a lot of ways, Ngannou made a mockery of the heavyweight division. So even though he lost, it wasn’t a resounding victory a professional boxer could be proud of.
Hence, in his opinion, the match with Joshua could be inconsistent. But the thought remains unaligned with how Francis Ngannou dealt with Tyson Fury. Instead, it has more to do with whether Anthony Joshua has been able to make a successful return and the way it’s been projected.
He said, “So now what I’m saying is it’s not a mismatch because of what Ngannou did to Fury….. but I thoroughly expect Anthony Joshua, who’s been busy; he’s had three fights last year….he’s got bags of experience; he seems to be getting more confident now; he seems to be getting that mojo back; that mindset seems to be coming; …that Anthony Joshua might just be back, but the only caveat to that is is he back; we don’t know…”
He reasoned that the three fighters he fought last year—Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, and Otto Wallin—never went against him, displaying any spirit to win. Debatably, he appeared a bit motivated against Helenius. However, the equations change when it boils down to Ngannou.
Anthony Joshua walking into ‘The Predator’s Lair
The mixed martial artist might be his equal in terms of strength. But he appears way too big and heavy for Joshua. All in all, he has the natural instincts of a killer. “Mindset of a killer, he is a killer, a born killer. Natural Born Killer look at his background story; look where he comes from; look at what he’s done in the MMA world; he’s going to be coming to Anthony Joshua, sticking it on hi
So he would be going all-out against Joshua. How the British boxer would respond, time alone will tell since it is difficult to anticipate based on his last three bouts, the former super middleweight champion emphasized.
In his final analysis, Carl Froch rued the fact that Anthony Joshua changed as a boxer after suffering his first loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. It might be said that he has improved, but whether he has returned to the way he used to fight earlier remains a big question.
