Francis Ngannou Confident In Knocking Out Anthony Joshua

Former UFC world heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (Instagram/@francisngannou).

JAKARTA Former UFC heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou boasted that he would beat former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua with a knock-out (KO).

The two fighters are scheduled to fight in the ring as many as 10 rounds on March 8, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This will be Ngannou's second boxing duel.

"I think it's very likely (I'm going to) score a knockout over Anthony Joshua. I think he's easier to drop than (Tyson) Fury," Ngannou said.

"I don't mean he's not a tough fighter. He's a very tough fighter, but he's easier to take down than Fury and it's more difficult for him to bounce back than Fury," he said.

Ngannou previously made his boxing debut against Fury on October 28, 2023. At that time, the Cameroon-France mixed martial artist lost through a divided decision.

However, some people think Ngannou deserved to win in that duel. Moreover, he had brought down the WBC world champion belt holder in the third round.

Ngannou's stunning appearance against Fury makes him now ranked WBC. He is in 10th position close to big names, such as Otto Wallin (9), Joseph Parker (8), and Filip Hrgovic (11).

"It was my first fight in the world of boxing. It was my first fight. Like anyone else, I will develop."

"The opportunity to develop for a beginner like me is huge. I'm just a growing beginner," Ngannou said.

Joshua has just secured his latest win over Otto Wallin in December 2023. He was actually targeted against Deontay Wilder after that, but Wilder lost against Joseph Parker on the same card.

Victory over Wallin is Joshua's third straight win since he lost twice in a row to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022 which cost him the world title.