January 13, 2024 11:45 am ET
Frank Warren thinks Francis Ngannou has the power to knock any heavyweight out.
Ngannou (0-1) takes on Anthony Joshua (27-3) in a 10-round boxing match March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
After watching Ngannou knock down WBC champion Tyson Fury in a close decision loss, legendary boxing promoter Warren wouldn’t be surprised if Ngannou stopped Joshua.
“He’s getting well paid for it and that’s what they’re out there for,” Warren said in an interview with Seconds Out. “Both of them are getting well paid. Tyson got well paid for it too, but Ngannou has shown if he catches you, he can hurt you. He’s done that as a UFC fighter. Tremendous puncher. You don’t want to be fighting him on the inside because that’s his game. That’s what they do. You only have to watch the UFC.
“You can see the guys there, you’re not going to fiddle them about inside. That’s the way they fight. You also see that he’s a big puncher and if he catches AJ, I think he could knock him out, but then I think he could knock out nearly any of the heavyweights out there if he catches them. He’s that type of fighter. He’s a big puncher and he showed he can box a bit.”
However, Warren says the element of surprise won’t be there for Joshua like it was for Fury. He wonders how the two-time former unified world heavyweight champion will approach Ngannou.
“For AJ going into the fight, at least he’s seen him now in the boxing ring,” Warren continued. “He’s seen how he performs in a boxing ring against probably the best heavyweight in the world in Tyson. So he knows what to expect. What’ll be interesting to see is what has Ngannou learned from the first fight he had as a heavyweight. Obviously, anyone who’s now fighting him will be looking to see what they feel will be the chinks in his armor, what they can exploit.
“Can he get better at the age he is? It’ll be very interesting to see what tactics AJ uses in the fight. He’s a big puncher himself. Is he going to go and just try to take him out? I don’t know. I think he’s going to try and break him down. Can he do that? All of it is quite interesting and he’s a switch hitter as well. He can turn to southpaw.”
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