Ngannou: “I can knock Anthony Joshua out”
The former UFC heavyweight champion is confident about his chances against ‘AJ’ in a fight where anything can happen.
The biggest winner of the Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou fight will be the fans. While the British fighter believes he can make a statement on Friday and defeat Ngannou in style, the Cameroonian-French warrior thinks he can end the bout with one punch.
The 37-year-old Ngannou proved to be a real threat to anyone in the ring when he faced Tyson Fury in October. Although many thought that he had no chance against The Gipsy King, he ended up losing the showdown via split decision, although many believed he should have been given the nod that night.
It’s a very risky fight for Joshua, as he’s the boxer in this crossover fight, and a loss could mean the end of his professional career, while for Ngannou it’s a golden opportunity to make history and probably face the winner of the Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk mega-fight, which is expected to happen in May.
Ngannou: “If I land on anybody, I knock them out”
The MMA African icon proved that his power is real against Fury, who went to the canvas twice, and that has probably given Ngannou the confidence he needs ahead of the clash against Joshua.
“I finished my training camp yesterday and I feel good. It has been a tough eight weeks to get here. I feel like I did everything that could be done”, he said to Sky Sports.
“I believe if I land on anybody I knock them out. But the question is how to land, that is the hardest thing. How to carry that power and energy for 10 rounds and still be able to knock someone out after all the fatigue.”
Although Ngannou has only one official boxing match on his shoulders, he sent a warning, saying he shouldn’t be underestimated again.
“I don’t have experience in boxing but, don’t make any mistake, I had a lot of experiences in life, of fighting”.
“I view my fighting spirit as high as anybody else’s. I don’t have any (boxing) experience but I know I can fight. You’re born as a fighter, you don’t become a fighter, I do believe that”, he added.
Regardless of the outcome of the fight, Joshua will likely start with caution, trying to move and keep his opponent at bay, while Ngannou will try to pressure the former world champion and surprise him with a clean shot to close the show.