British heavyweight star Joe Joyce has given a surprising assessment on Francis Ngannou's boxing ability.
Joyce has had previous experience when it comes to facing Ngannou inside the ring after using the former UFC heavyweight champion as a sparring partner in the build-up to his fight against Daniel Dubois three years ago.
Now with Ngannou set to face WBC world heavyweight Tyson Fury later this year, Joyce spoke about the spar and was impressed with the Cameroonian's power.
"I sparred Ngannou before the Dubois fight, he’s a big, powerful unit. It was a good experience to spar him. He’s a freak of nature. He’s got phenomenal power," Joyce told GiveMeSport.
“Most of the time I was trying to get away from those power shots to avoid getting my head taken off.”
Joyce is set to return on September 23 when he looks to avenge his loss to Zhilei Zhang earlier this year.