Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou: 5 questions (and answers) going into the fight
Anthony Joshua has taken part in many big fights, including one against Wladimir Klitschko, a rematch with conqueror Andy Ruiz Jr. and two against Oleksandr Usyk.
The former two-time champion’s fight on March 8 is his most unusual.
Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) is scheduled to face MMA star-turned-boxer Francis Ngannou (0-1) on pay-per-view from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Ngannou put Tyson Fury down and nearly upset him in his boxing debut in October.
There are many questions going into Joshua-Ngannou. Here are five of them.
Is Ngannou for real?
Yes. I’m convinced that the Fury’s surprisingly weak effort against him was more the result of his lack of preparation – physically and mentally – than the MMA star’s boxing ability. Fury thought he could beat Ngannou with his eyes closed and one hand tied behind his back. That attitude almost resulted in a shocking loss against an opponent with no professional boxing experience. However, the fact is Ngannou deserves credit for his performance. He has respectable skills, the result of natural ability and work on boxing fundamentals early in his combat sports career. And no one will second guess his punching power. He looked like he belonged in the ring with arguably the best heavyweight in the world even though he lost a split decision. That was no illusion. Ngannou certainly isn’t the boxer Fury or Oleksandr Usyk are but he knows his way around the boxing ring and isn’t fazed by significant challenges.
Can Joshua become a three-time champ?
Absolutely. The 34-year-old hasn’t been the same dominating force since he was knocked out by Ruiz in 2019, when he lost his titles by failing to make it out of the seventh round in one of the sport’s greatest upsets. He outpointed Ruiz to regain his titles in a rematch but looked timid. Then, after stopping Kubrat Pulev, he lost back-to-back fights against Usyk in 2021 and 2022. He might have already hit his ceiling as a fighter. At the same time, he gave a good effort in the second fight with Usyk, losing a split decision that could’ve gone either way. He demonstrated in that fight that he has more to give. And he’s coming off back-to-back knockouts of Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin that were reminiscent of the old Joshua. He looked particularly good against Wallin, evidence that he’s thriving under new coach Ben Davison. I think this version of Joshua could compete with any heavyweight in the world.
Who is going to win?
Joshua, of course. Ngannou will never again take a genuine boxer by surprise. Joshua knows what he’s up against and appears to have prepared accordingly, meaning he should be at his best. Ngannou will fight with the same spirit of his surprising effort against Fury but that won’t be enough in this fight, which is how the oddsmakers see it: Joshua is about a 4-1 favorite. The former two-time champion will keep Ngannou at the end of his jab, pick him apart with power shots from a safe distance, wear Ngannou down and win either by a late knockout or one-sided decision. Of course, at the risk of sounding wishy washy, I put nothing past Ngannou after his performance against Fury. I think he’s a natural boxer with supreme confidence who is capable of anything on the right night. I just don’t think this is that night.
What’s next for the winner?
That depends on what happens on March 8 and in the May 18 showdown between Fury and Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship. The Joshua-Ngannou winner almost certainly will pursue a fight with the winner of Fury-Usyk. The problem is that there’s a good chance Fury and Usyk will engage in more than one fight, which would leave all contenders in a waiting mode unless the sanctioning bodies strip one or both of titles. And, of course, if Joshua-Ngannou is close, they could do it again. Other viable options for the Joshua-Ngannou winner is the winner of the Zhilei Zhang-Joseph Parker fight on the March 8 card, as well as former champion Deontay Wilder and Filip Hrgovic. Bottom line: Whomever has his hand raised after the Joshua-Ngannou fight will be in position to get an even bigger opportunity in the near future.
What if Joshua loses?
That would be devastating for him, especially if Ngannou wins convincingly. Joshua has already had to battle back from two downturns, his shocking upset loss against Ruiz and the two losses against Usyk. He had a 2-3 record from 2019 to 2022, which sullied his reputation. Another setback – particularly against an opponent taking part in only his second professional bout – might cause irreparable damage. If he loses a close fight, he might get the chance to turn the tables in a rematch. That could keep his career as an elite fighter alive. If Ngannou wins handily, Joshua might not be able to recover. In fact, he might not want start the rebuilding process again if he loses. He’s already a two-time champion and evidently in good shape financially. Why go through the indignity of getting back in line? Indeed, Joshua might be fighting for his boxing life against Ngannou on March 8.