As one of just five people in the world with the unique position to have stepped into the ring with both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, Francis Ngannou wasted no time in answering who he thinks will win the upcoming clash of the British greats.
It might be a decade past when it should have happened, but Fury vs Joshua looks to be finally coming to fruition this year.
Confirmed by the renowned matchmaker Turki Alalshikh, the heavyweight rivals are set to collide this year, if not for one final hurdle coming from the Fury camp.
With the bout expected around the holiday season, the entire boxing community has begun to deliberate on which fighter will be able to turn back the clock and prove their mettle.
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Francis Ngannou makes bold claim about Tyson Fury
Alongside Oleksandr Usyk (the only man to beat them both, twice), Otto Wallin, Dillian White, and Wladimir Klitschko, MMA fighter-turned-boxer Francis Ngannou is expertly poised to give an insight into the true capabilities of both Fury and Joshua.
But having only lost to Fury by a somewhat controversial split decision, even knocking him to the canvas, Ngannou believes that the Mancunian has too much for AJ.
"If I have to favor somebody, it’s going to be very slight,” Ngannou said in an interview with The Schmo.
“I will go for Fury, because he is very slick.
"He does well with professional boxing; he only doesn’t understand [how to deal with an opponent] when it’s not a pro boxer.”
The latter point backs Ngannou's stance that his unorthodox MMA style was the reason that Fury was caught so off-guard in their bout, whereas Joshua sussed him out quickly and overwhelmed him with technique.
Ngannou's time in the ring with Joshua was much shorter-lived than it was with Fury, though, learning AJ's power within just two rounds of action, whereas it took Fury ten dings of the bell to put his stamp on the fight and tip the points in his favour.
Still, until we hear from Usyk or even Klitschko, Ngannou's opinion might be the best that we have to go off.
As for the prized MMA fighter, he is expected to make a shock return to the ring against Joshua's last opponent, Jake Paul.
The former UFC Heavyweight Champion hasn't fought since Joshua, but has been called out by Paul, who, despite his titanium-plated jaw (thanks to the fist of Joshua), claims Ngannou was 'terrible' and would be an easy knockout.
Topics: Boxing, Francis Ngannou, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua
Jack Marsh