By: Sean Crose
After nearly shocking the entire world by defeating WBC lineal and heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (some argue he shocked the world anyway) last October, former UFC great Francis Ngannou will now take on the former king of WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight Anthony Joshua reportedly this. March in Saudi Arabia. Although the exact day has not been given, it cannot be argued that Joshua and Ngannou will be the next to fight each other. “Tonight,” Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn declared on Twitter on Friday, “we confirm it’s a done deal! @anthonyjoshua and @francis_ngannou collide on a big night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – press conference on January 15 in London with full details coming soon.
Joshua has been on a high after completely dominating and stopping dangerous contender Otto Wallin a few weeks ago. With current champions Usyk and Fury set to fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship, and with a recently defeated Deontay Wilder not looking anywhere near his best, Ngannou offers the Londoner a high-profile, big-money fight against a great puncher. In fact, this should be no problem for Joshua, unless of course he makes the mistake of underestimating the talented Ngannou, as many argue Fury did several months ago.
As for Ngannou, this is his chance to solidify the belief that his near-victory over Fury wasn’t just a fluke. A win over Joshua would be huge, changing the entire world of combat sports and presenting him with the opportunity to fight for a world title. As a general rule, top former mixed martial artists tend to get beat up in the boxing ring. Against Fury, Ngannou proved to be the exception to the rule, showing footwork and decent ring IQ as he faced one of the most decorated and lauded boxers in the world.
Styles, however, make fights. And Joshua could employ a style that is incompatible for Ngannou. After being stopped by Andy Ruiz in 2019, Joshua decided to change his style for the rematch, going illusory rather than engaging in a fight. It has already been suggested that Joshua could employ the same strategy against the hard-hitting Ngannou. On the other hand, Joshua is a hard-hitting heavyweight. However, trading blows with someone who has the tough hands that Ngannou has could prove flawed. In any case, it is very likely that Joshua will enter the ring to face Ngannou as a considerable favorite. And that makes sense. However, he does not guarantee a victory.
