“Very strong”: Francis Ngannou touted to have a successful career inside the squared circle by boxing legend

A boxing legend recently weighed in on Francis Ngannou's impressive performance last weekend. He shocked the combat sports community and earned the respect of the boxing community after knocking down lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

The former UFC heavyweight champion went the distance with Fury in their boxing bout, but lost a split decision that many believed he should have won. While speaking to TMZ Sports, Shawn Porter complimented 'The Predator' for his performance against 'The Gypsy King' and mentioned that there is room for improvement and he could pose a threat to the heavyweight division.

He said:

"If he's able to find a pace, he's gonna get some heavyweight fighters some trouble because he's big enough to fight there, he showed he's strong enough to fight there and the guy is athletic. He got skills!" [h/t TMZ Sports]

Photos from Tyson Fury knockdown

The two-time welterweight boxing champion also brought up that Francis Ngannou's lack of experience in boxing is what resulted in his split decision loss. He mentioned that 'The Predator' is powerful but lacked the boxing IQ that would have lead to more success against Tyson Fury, saying:

"Unfortunately, even though Ngannou showed himself, again, to be very strong, showed himself to be prepared for this fight. He also showed he does not have enough boxing mechanics to win enough rounds to beat Tyson Fury." [h/t TMZ Sports]

It will be interesting to see whether Francis Ngannou competes in an MMA bout next or returns to the squared circle for another lucrative boxing bout.

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Eddie Hearn expresses interest in booking Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua

It appears as though a massive heavyweight boxing bout could be on the horizon for Francis Ngannou as Eddie Hearn recently expressed interest in promoting a bout between him and Anthony Joshua.

During his appearance on The MMA Hour, the boxing promoter shared his thoughts on 'The Battle of the Baddest' and complimented the former UFC heavyweight champion for proving him wrong. He expressed interest in matching him up with Joshua. He mentioned that he believes a Ngannou vs. Joshua bout would be massive and could possibly take place in Africa, saying:

"Perhaps in Africa. Perhaps the Rumble in the Jungle 2 is one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport. And I promise you this - respect to Francis - easy work for my man [Anthony Joshua]...I know the MMA world are just walking in the clouds, but we'll bring it straight back down to reality."