Anthony Joshua told "pointless" Francis Ngannou fight is "bad for boxing"

20 January 2024 , 11:30

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Anthony Joshua told "pointless" Francis Ngannou fight is "bad for boxing"

Former world champion Carl Froch has told Anthony Joshua his fight with Francis Ngannou is a waste of time.

Joshua will take on ex-UFC heavyweight world champion Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on March 8. The Brit had planned to take on Deontay Wilder in the Middle East but the American slipped to a shock defeat against Joseph Parker last month.

Ngannou stepped in after impressing the boxing world on his professional debut when he dropped Tyson Fury in the third round before losing on points. Joshua knows victory could earn him a shot at the winner of Fury's clash with Oleksandr Usyk which takes place next month.

But Froch sees no point in him facing Ngannou instead of a legitimate contender. "It's bad for boxing because who wants to watch it? Because when Joshua wins, what's he done? What's he achieved? F*** all," he told Lord Ping. "All he wants is bragging rights to say he did a better job than Fury, but no one cares. Joshua Ngannou is a pointless fight. It's doing nothing for boxing.

"Sure, it keeps him ticking over while he waits for the winner of Fury versus Usyk, but why not fight a real boxer; fight Zhilei Zhang, fight Joe Joyce, fight Daniel Dubois. There are fights available to Joshua against top contenders and real boxers. But instead he's jumping in with Ngannou in a pointless exhibition."

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Joshua, however, insists Ngannou represents a danger to his dream of becoming a three-time champion. “He brings two arms, a body, but his mind is different to everyone else. In terms of his frame and make-up I’ve seen people like him many times before,” he said.

On his thoughts when the Ngannou fight was offered, Joshua added: “No problem. Every fight leads to somewhere, so this fight is my everything and we will see where it leads me. My main focus is Ngannou and getting through an intense training camp. I have got to take his mind and his spirit, it will be explosive. We can both trade and it will be a good fight."

Martin Domin