Anthony Joshua Fires Ngannou

Two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is gearing up for a showdown with UFC sensation Francis Ngannou, and during their face-off, ‘AJ’ swiftly addressed suggestions that if anyone is going to get knocked out, it would be the former UFC champ.

Anthony Joshua’s resilience and knockout ability have been in question since his first career loss to Andy Ruiz in 2019, despite never being knocked out, even after two losses to Oleksandr Usyk. Following those setbacks, Joshua bounced back with victories over Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius, although he seemed to struggle against the latter. However, he appeared to be back in top form against Otto Wallin in December, forcing the Swede to retire after five rounds.

During their face-off on DAZN Boxing, ‘AJ’ argued that his power is being underestimated, prompting Ngannou to imply that concerns about his ability to take a punch are the reason fans worry about him these days.

Joshua: “You know what it is? People underestimate me, a lot.”

Ngannou: “It’s not underestimating you, it’s knockout [vulnerability].”

Joshua: “Who has knocked me out like that? Where I am [unconscious]?”

Ngannou: “That’s not what I mean. It’s more like we’ll both be seeking the knockout. Which I don’t think is a problem because I will try to knock him out if I have the opportunity, and I think he’ll do the same.”

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou are set to collide on Friday, March 8th, airing live on both DAZN PPV and Sky Sports Box Office, headlining a card that features another exciting heavyweight battle as Zhilei Zhang defends his WBO interim title against Joseph Parker.