Heavyweight fighter Joe Joyce believes that if Francis Ngannou hits Anthony Joshua with the same power he did Tyson Fury, he can emerge victorious.
Ngnannou and Joshua fight on March 8 in Saudi Arabia, live on DAZN.com, and it marks the MMA heavyweight’s second fight as a professional fighter.
In his first he was the clear underdog against Fury back in October 2023, but he still sent the WBC champion to the canvas before losing via split-decision.
Joshua meanwhile has three consecutive wins to his name after two defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, with his last appearance also in Saudi Arabia, when he stopped Otto Wallin in impressive fashion Speaking to Sky Sports, Joyce explained that he has his own experience with Ngannou in the ring.
He said of their sparring: "Because he's an MMA fighter and he's not really been concentrating on boxing, he was a little bit more open and I could kind of see where the shots were coming from, move out the way and keep him on the jab. But them power shots are whistling past my abs and my chin in the process.
"But we had a really good spar and I've got a lot of respect for Ngannou."
He added: "Of course. If he lands one of those big shots like he hit Fury with then I don't think Joshua's going to get up from that..
"He [Joshua] will probably be cagey in there. I think it's going to be a good fight. As a match up they've both got power. I think it's a great fight.
"He boxed really well against Fury. It's an amazing story. Reached the heights of UFC and then challenged arguably the best in Tyson Fury and gave him a run for his money. He's a bit of a wild card."
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