Anthony Joshua has been told by Francis Ngannou that his win against Otto Wallin didn’t prove he can fight well under pressure.

Former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua is booked to fight Ngannou just weeks after his stunning knockout win over Wallin. ‘AJ’ had a brilliant 2023 campaign as he bounced back after consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk by winning fights against Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Wallin.

Ngannou will make his second boxing appearance against Joshua after coming within touching distance of beating Tyson Fury when he made his ring debut last October. The former UFC champion admitted that he was impressed by Joshua’s win against Wallin but isn’t confident the Brit is back to his old destructive style.

“He looked amazing, respect to him and congratulations to him. He was doing his job properly, his speed was there and he was very sharp. On the other hand, I think there wasn’t a response in front of him. I think I will have a better response in front of him that will put him in uncomfortable situations and positions,” Ngannou said on The MMA Hour.

“Things will change and be different. I will not just stay there and look at him, it’s going to be different. I’m going to throw some bombs out there for him to deal with. I think he’s going to be mindful of what he’s doing. Nobody still knows what I can do, that was my first fight in boxing and like anyone else I am just improving. The gap of improvement for a beginner like me is huge.”

Ngannou dropped Fury in their fight and only lost by a single point in a controversial decision. The former UFC champion is hoping to beat Joshua and rematch Fury, insisting their second fight must take place by October. Ngannou is unsure whether Joshua will be able to take the same punches that Fury as he questioned the Brit’s chin.

“Not that he’s not a strong fighter. He’s a very tough fighter, but he’s easier to send down than Fury, and it’s harder for him to get back up than Fury. If AJ takes the punch that Fury took, I don’t guarantee that he is getting up. I have heard that he doesn’t have a chin, I am going to find out,” Ngannou added.

Francis Ngannou is not letting the doubters get to him once again.

In a combat sports career and an overall life filled with overcoming the odds and proving people wrong, Ngannou is again staying supremely focused and confident.

Readying for his sophomore professional boxing bout by taking on generational great/ former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, ‘The Predator’ took to social media to show he sees what the haters are saying and frankly does not care.

Via his personal X account @francis_ngannou, Ngannou said:

Heavyweight title hopeful Martin Bakole has offered his prediction ahead of the recently announced crossover fight between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou, where he believes that the fight will end inside the distance.

Ngannou shocked the world when he knocked down Tyson Fury in the third-round of a fight that was expected to be a one-sided win for the WBC champion, before losing a disputed split-decision.

Now, the former UFC superstar has the opportunity to go one better and defeat Joshua, to put the world of boxing on notice, with their fight coming out of the blue and formally announced last week.

In an interview with iFL TV, Bakole shared his intrigue and excitement at the bout, pondering how Ngannou will fare against an opponent who takes him more seriously, and predicting an upset.

Joshua-Ngannou will take place on March 8th in Riyadh, whilst Bakole has announced his ambitions to challenge Manuel Charr for the WBA Regular heavyweight title, as he continues to pursue world honours.

To think there are UFC fans out there that are still saying Francis Ngannou “fumbled the bag” when he rejected to sign a new contract in order to do his own thing is beyond understanding. He already won more than whathe earned during his entire UFC career with a single boxing match against Tyson Fury. After that spectacular debut, he landed another mega fight against Anthony Joshua as his second-ever boxing match. Riyadh sports events organizers are the ones we can all thank for that, they know what type of events people want to see worldwide. But there are many lingering questions about this event that still need to be covered.

How much is the Ngannou vs Joshua purse worth?

According to a recent report from Forbes, the estimated purse of the Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou purse will be worth an estimated $70 million. That won’t be split into two equal parts, Joshua is the one with the most prestige in boxing and he is the biggest box office draw. From that purse, the Brit is getting a reported $50 million while Ngannou is getting $20 million. All of this will be before pay-per-view sales. Once we know how well the fight does with viewership, we will know a more exct number of how much each fighter is getting paid for this event.

Ngannou vs Joshua date, venue and start time

With both parties confirmed to have agreed on this fight, we can already offer some more details of the event that is taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A place that has slowly become the world’s boxing capital. Ngannou and Joshua will face each other on Friday, March 8 in a 12-round fight. This event is taking place on a Friday because the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit is taking place on the same weekend. The main event is starting at 13:30 PST but the undercard is expected to start four hours before that. As far as the broadcast goes, DAZN PPV will be the ones hosting the vent.

Francis Ngannou made a huge impact on his boxing debut, and he has earned another huge fight in the squared circle where he will take on British heavyweight Anthony Joshua. The pair look set to meet in a huge heavyweight clash in Saudi Arabia in March, which will come just six months after the ex-UFC star scored a huge knockdown against Tyson Fury in his debut in the sport, which sent shockwaves through the division.

Ngannou earned a WBC ranking despite falling short on the final judges scorecards, and he will now have a big opportunity to propel his name into even further stardom. AJ himself is in good form, having won his last three fights including a stoppage demolition of Otto Wallin, which is considered his most convincing performance in the last couple of years. But ‘The Predator’ fancies his chances and has compared the size of the task to facing the ‘Gypsy King’ in October.