Francis Ngannou, two-sport world champion? It’s possible.
When Ngannou stepped into the ring with heavyweight great Tyson Fury this past October, he entered the boxing world as a UFC champion who never lost his title in the cage. He didn’t defeat Fury, but he earned plenty of respect with a thrilling third-round knockdown and a razor-close split decision loss that many felt should have been a win.
Now, the PFL fighter is set to face another top boxer in Anthony Joshua on March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At a recent press conference for the event, Ngannou made it clear that he isn’t letting any success or praise go to his head.
“I’ve been sitting here listening to people talking and even [Matchroom Boxing Chairman] Eddie [Hearn] praising me, which I appreciate that,” Ngannou said. “At the same time, I’m not sure he’s honest, or if just wants to get me [sleeping on] his guy, which, that’s not going to happen. I’m just a beginner out here that’s going to train really hard and do everything and come as the underdog to win the fight. I don’t take my last fight as a reference. I think that I get this done, I think that I get everything, I know exactly where I am at. I’m just a beginner, and I’m definitely going to come out better, get better and better, so that’s how I see things. I’m getting prepared for a hard fight.
“Yes, the Tyson Fury fight was great, it was awesome, but that’s now in the past, and I have a new challenge in front of me when I take it even more serious now than before, because now, I think there is something more on the line, which is probably the undisputed [title].
“Let’s see, maybe I will do something that nobody has done before, and I really believe that I have the tools to do that. Starting off having a win against A.J. on March 8 in Riyadh, which is going to be a big fight. Not an easy one, but a possible one, and I’m going to take that.”
Though nothing is official, both Ngannou and Joshua have spoken publicly about the winner of their clash possibly going on to compete for undisputed heavyweight champion status. That likely means a fight with either Oleksandr Usyk or Fury, who are set to fight on Feb. 17 with their respective titles on the line.
As the owner of 10 UFC knockout victories, Ngannou was asked if he expects to test the quality of Joshua’s chin. Joshua has lost just three times in 30 boxing matches, with one of those losses coming by way of TKO.
“I’m going to fight him, so what do you think I’m going to do?” Ngannou said. “It’s to look for his chin. That’s what happens in the fight. In the fight, you’re trying to hit somebody in the chin or wherever you can hit him, and yes I heard that he doesn’t have a chin. I don’t know if it’s true or not, I hope I have the opportunity to test that out. That’s my wish. That’s what I’m wishing for.”