08 March 2024 , 04:00
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Francis Ngannou knows exactly which punch could KO Anthony Joshua and end the Brit's career.
The former UFC champion dropped and almost stopped Tyson Fury last October before losing on points. And he is aware the same left hook which downed Fury has been Joshua's kryptonite throughout his career. The Brit was staggered by Dillian Whyte in 2015 and knocked down by Andy Ruiz Jr in their first fight four years later.
Victory over Ngannou could propel Joshua into an undisputed fight against Fury or Oleksandr Usyk - but defeat would be catastrophic. And Ngannou said: "Every punch that lands will always cause problems. When he fought Andy Ruiz the left hook was a huge problem for him. Everything can hit everybody. I’m sure he doesn’t want to find out, even on the right side. He doesn't want to take the punch."
Ngannou also admitted to being cautious against Fury - despite coming so close to pulling off boxing's biggest-ever upset. "That was my first fight and I had to learn a lot," he added. "I stepped into that fight questioning myself about everything - can I throw a jab in a professional boxing match against a champion? "Can I do two rounds, four, six? Regardless of the training I knew it's always different in a fight. Now I know I can be explosive over 10 rounds and I know I have improved. I was holding stuff back and just maintaining my pace to get to the end of the fight."
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Few fans or pundits expect Friday's fight to go the distance - but Ngannou does not have his heart set on a knockout. "Now I know I can be explosive over 10 rounds," he said. "Did you my Superman impression in the 10th round? I felt like I’m not done. In the seventh and eighth I thought let your heart rate go down and come back in the 10th. I don't need to rush for the first rounds against Joshua. I know I can still win a decision if we have a tough fight. I beat Tyson Fury on points so how can’t I believe that?"