Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on MMAJunkie.com.
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Frank Warren believes Francis Ngannou has the power to knock out any heavyweight.
Ngannou (0-1) faces Anthony Joshua (27-3) in a 10-round boxing match on March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
After seeing Ngannou take down WBC champion Tyson Fury in a close decision loss, legendary boxing promoter Warren wouldn’t be surprised if Ngannou stopped Joshua.
“They get paid well for it and that’s what they’re there for,” Warren said in an interview with Seconds Out. “They both get paid well. Tyson was paid well for it too, but Ngannou has shown that if he catches you, he can hurt you. He has done it as a UFC fighter. Tremendous puncher. You don’t want to fight him inside because that’s his game. That’s what they do. You just have to watch the UFC.
“You can see the guys there, you’re not going to manipulate them inside. That’s how they fight. You also see that he is a big puncher and if he catches AJ, I think he could knock him out, but I think he could knock out almost any of the heavyweights out there if he catches them. He is that type of fighter. He is a big puncher and he showed that he can box a little.”
However, Warren says the element of surprise won’t be there for Joshua like it was for Fury. He wonders how the two-time former unified world heavyweight champion will approach Ngannou.
“For AJ to go to the fight, at least now he’s seen it in the boxing ring,” Warren continued. “He’s seen how he performs in a boxing ring against probably the best heavyweight in the world: Tyson. So he knows what to expect. What will be interesting to see is what Ngannou learned from the first fight he had as a heavyweight. Obviously, anyone who is now fighting him will be looking for what the chinks in his armor are, what they can exploit.
“Can he improve at his age? It will be very interesting to see what tactics AJ uses in the fight. He himself is a great puncher. Will he go and try to eliminate it? I don’t know. I think he’s going to try to take him down. Can he do that? This is all quite interesting and he is also a switch-hitter. He can become left-handed.”
