"It's a good challenge" - Francis Ngannou discusses fighting two top heavyweight boxers in his first two boxing matches

Francis Ngannou’s decision to relinquish the UFC heavyweight title and leave the organization was initially perceived as a professional mistake. In hindsight, his MMA career appears to have served as a launching pad that helped him get to the top of the boxing world.

Ngannou made his boxing debut with a split decision loss against the reigning WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, in October 2023. Despite the perceived disadvantage in terms of skills and experience, ‘The Predator’ gave Fury one of the toughest fights of his career.

He is now set to fight former heavyweight title holder Anthony Joshua in March 2024. Recently, Ngannou and Joshua joined Ade Oladipo to discuss their fight. The Cameroonian spoke about the opportunity to fight two of the greatest active boxers, saying:

“So in my first two boxing matches, I’m taking on top two of the top three heavyweight boxers in this generation. So, quite interesting. But it’s good. It’s a good challenge.”

Catch Ngannou’s comments below (2:30):

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Francis Ngannou believes Anthony Joshua is not as resilient as Tyson Fury

Francis Ngannou is known for his devastating punching power and even knocked Tyson Fury down in their October 2023 fight. Fury, who is known for his ability to survive and get up after being knocked down, got back up and made it to the final bell.

Ngannou feels that Anthony Joshua may not survive if he were to get knocked down when they fight. He said (from 11:10):

“Tyson has shown that he is very resilient. I saw him come back from a knockdown that you wouldn't believe somebody would come back from. I think he is probably one of the most resilient people out there. That is not a disrespect to AJ. I don't believe that AJ would take what Tyson did.”

Joshua vs. Ngannou will headline the Knockout Chaos event, scheduled to take place on March 8, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As of the time of writing, Ngannou is a +380 underdog while ‘AJ’ is the -470 favorite.

While Francis Ngannou is aiming for a knockout victory over Joshua on Mar. 8, the latter feels that the boxing community has been underestimating him. In a statement in January, ‘AJ’ reminded everyone of his victories over some of the most elite boxers of his generation.