The Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou boxing match is now official, prompting fans and the boxing world to start making their predictions. And while many are betting on Joshua, former MMA champ and current commentator Daniel Cormier thinks Ngannou could succeed. Meanwhile, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn believes it will be a tough fight for Joshua.
It will be Ngannou’s second boxing match after fighting Tyson Fury last October. Despite losing to “The Gypsy King,” the MMA star amazed the boxing world when he managed to drop him in the third round of their fight. After this, the fighter was officially booked against Joshua, who will face him on March 9 in Saudi Arabia.
Cormier, who’s witnessed Ngannou’s MMA journey, has faith in the fighter. After evaluating his first fight with Fury, the commentator believes that “The Predator” can win his first boxing match this time. As Cormier explained, the fighter had already made a remarkable fight against Fury, and leveling it up could elevate his chances of winning.
“You’re telling me after watching that fight with Tyson Fury, and watching that Francis Ngannou, that he still doesn’t have a better chance of winning?” Cormier asked rhetorically while discussing Ngannou on his YouTube channel.
“For him to win, he’s got to do what he did last time, but he’s got to be a little more ferocious in his approach. Because I really do believe that if he approaches this fight with bad intent and he goes out there and he’s swinging and he’s a little bit reckless, I believe he will make Joshua fight in such a way that it will limit all of these skills that he’s built over a lifetime.
“I think Francis has a chance, and I think Francis can get it done.”
Hearn, nonetheless, believes that Joshua, who recently defeated Otto Wallin, will extend his winning streak with this fight. And while the promoter bets on his talent, Hearn did not deny that Ngannou would be a tough opponent for the Briton.
“I still believe that AJ will show you the levels of boxing in this fight,” Hearn said on The MMA Hour. “But listen, I’ve been wrong before. I’m an AJ fanboy. And the reason that people aren’t pooh-poohing this fight is because they realize it’s a dangerous fight now. They realize AJ should win, but this guy [Ngannou] is for real — and what I said earlier is key. He has no fear.
“Normally, a guy without a boxing background should be going in fighting Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, but half petrified, really, of really not knowing what to do. I saw an Instagram post earlier of [Ngannou] with Guido Vianello, who’s a heavyweight. He’s back sparring already. I mean, I’ll be honest with you, it made me — I won’t say, I had a change of underwear. It was like, he’s dangerous. He’s dangerous because he just doesn’t really know. He hasn’t been there. [But] he’s been there now, so he’s going to be more dangerous.”
