Showing posts with label Francis Ngannou. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Francis Ngannou. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Anthony Joshua Makes A Statement In Knocking Out Ngannou

The Heavyweight fight between two-time World Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and former UFC Heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou was a spectacle that was right in line with several of what this observer refers to as “Novelty" fights featuring either the top stars of the sports of Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) or celebrities from other realms that for one reason or another decide to enter Combat Sports. What made this particular encounter different was the fact that Francis Ngannou had proven in his previous foray into Boxing that he had the potential to transition to a career as a professional boxer in October of last year in putting forth an impressive showing against undefeated current WBC Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury.


Not only did Ngannou score a shocking knockdown of Fury, a two-time world champion, who was expected to outclass Ngannou primarily based on the significant experience gap between the two, but by the time the fight was over, Ngannou had succeeded in turning many skeptics into believers in dropping what was seen as a controversial ten round split decision that many, this observer included, felt he deserved the victory. It was off of that performance that the term “Novelty" was removed regarding Ngannou and the question of how he would do in his next fight in the Boxing ring began to stir and over the ensuing months gained more and more buzz.


Although he would have been justified to seek what some might call lesser opposition, if nothing else, as a means of gaining more experience in what was and is a new sport for him, Ngannou chose to face another proven commodity in the form of former two-time Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua on March 8th in the same location as his bout with Fury, The Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Even though there was no world title at stake in this fight, the atmosphere was one that some Boxing fans might associate with some of the major Boxing events that have taken place in Las Vegas.


Despite his impressive showing against an under-prepared champion, who underestimated him, Ngannou faced a similar challenge in this fight in going against a two-time world champion, who is still a top contender and one might even say had a higher overall pedigree than Fury. It was also worth noting, despite suffering some setbacks in his career, Anthony Joshua has always been a well-conditioned fighter who was not likely to make a similar error in treating his bout with Ngannou with a seemingly “Kid Gloves" approach as Furry did.


Joshua made it a definite that this would be a different flight and it took only a short time for him to show that he did take Ngannou seriously and prepared accordingly. The approach Joshua implemented in this fight was one of fundamentals and patience. Upon the opening bell, the former two-time Heavyweight world champion established that he would vary his approach of Ngannou by looking to land jabs to the body as well as changing levels and looking to maintain distance between himself and the former UFC Heavyweight world champion.


As he had done last October in his fight against Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou attempted to land hooks and tried to set up opportunities for himself to counter Joshua. The primary difference between Joshua and Fury however, was one fighter had a lackadaisical approach, was not disciplined, and left opens that frankly made him look amateurish that Ngannou was able to exploit to a certain degree. Joshua's approach meanwhile had discipline at its core, and Ngannou was not able to take advantage of openings because there were not as many opportunities as there were when he fought Fury. Joshua was also defensively responsible in doing what he could to try and avoid the majority of wide hooks thrown by Ngannou, which were mostly blocked or deflected by Joshua's gloves and defensive guard.


The patience Joshua showed in simply biding his time and waiting for an opening came late in the first round when he dropped Ngannou hard with a perfectly timed and beautifully thrown straight right hand down the middle, which hit Ngannou flush on the chin and sent him down to the canvas. Despite being dropped, to his credit, Ngannou was able to get up from the knockdown and did connect with a hook to the head of Joshua before the round was over.


Nevertheless, a point had been proven in the opening round that unlike Fury, the still unbeaten holder of the WBC world championship in the Heavyweight division, Anthony Joshua took his assignment more seriously against Ngannou and was intent on making a statement in this fight. It would not be long before Joshua would accomplish what seemed to be a clear mission to send a message to not only Fury, not only Oleksandr Usuk, who ended his second reign as a world champion and retained his portion of the World Heavyweight championship over Joshua in a hotly contested rematch, but to the whole Heavyweight division.


As he had done in the first round, Joshua maintained his patience at the start of round two and did not recklessly approach Ngannou in trying to force a finish to the fight. A change for Joshua who has been susceptible to being caught when he has gotten overly aggressive in the past. This time, he simply waited for his opportunity. When the opportunity arose, Joshua dropped Ngannou for the second time with a right hook to the jaw. Although he was clearly stunned and had a look on his face that indicated that he did not know what hit him, Ngannou showed his heart by once again getting up from the knockdown. Joshua, one of the most devastating finishers in the sport, quickly walked across the ring and ended matters by decking Ngannou with a brutal straight right hand that momentarily knocked Ngannou out cold. The fight was over.


As brutal and infatic as Joshua's knockout of Francis Ngannou was in only taking a round and a half to end the night for a fighter who may still go on to be a player in the division if he chooses to remain in Boxing, the reality is, this is what Anthony Joshua as a world-class boxer, who is a two-time world champion should have been expected to do against a fighter in Ngannou, who only had one professional fight as a boxer. If one is being honest, they would also say that the same was expected of Tyson Fury, a man who is still atop the division, despite turning in what frankly should be viewed as an embarrassing performance as well as questionable scoring, which allowed him to remain unbeaten when he fought Ngannou.


While this does not take anything away from Francis Ngannou, ultimately, another point was proven in this fight that has been proven several times when Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters step into a Boxing ring against boxers who are primarily trained for Boxing, and when boxers choose to venture into an MMA ring or cage. Not only are Boxing and MMA two different sports and should be viewed as such, despite Boxing being a martial art/discipline, but also regardless of whether it is a Boxing ring or under an MMA format, a fighter venturing into a sport that is not their primary discipline in which they compete. will be at a competitive disadvantage both in terms of experience as well as overall skill compared to an opponent that primarily competes in that sport most of the time.


Francis Ngannou deserves all the credit in the world for rolling the dice and venturing into a different sport in the middle of his competitive prime. It is something that takes guts and one should also not underestimate the learning curve that is involved for a fighter switching sports at an advanced age. While we live in a time where anyone, regardless of background or credibility can share their point of view and are likely voicing opinions that may mock him based on the end result of this fight, the fact is Francis Ngannou has stepped in the ring with two of the best Heavyweight boxers in the world in his two fights as a professional boxer. Although he has yet to score an official victory, credit should be given where it is due. 


While there will also likely be calls for him to return to MMA, Ngannou still has value in Boxing and will likely still be able to secure significant paydays off of his name value. What this knockout loss should show him however, is he needs time to polish and refine his Boxing skills. No different than any other fighter just starting in the sport. If he remains committed to Boxing, gives himself adequate time to learn and is able to face opponents that one would expect to face as they develop, who range from just starting their careers to those fighters with some experience that can serve as helping a fighter in their development/learning process, and if he is able to develop under the guidance of experienced Boxing trainers, Francis Ngannou could still end up being a player in the Heavyweight division.


As is being learned by the various YouTubers/Influencers and others that venture into Boxing from other realms, very seldom is one able to start their career at the very top and succeed. Some may choose to try and take shortcuts, but ultimately the process of learning the fundamentals of the sport, polishing and refining one’s skills, which will always be a work in progress even for those at the very top of the sport, as well as a fundamental understanding of how the sport is structured, needs to be respected. Francis Ngannou has nothing to be ashamed of. If he is truly committed to Boxing and is willing to take the time required to go through the aforementioned learning process that the sport demands, his knockout at the hands of Anthony Joshua will be a chapter of his career as a boxer, not the end of the story.


“And That's The Boxing Truth.”


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Friday, March 8, 2024

Predictions: Joshua-Ngannou

Press Release: By  InstantCasinos.com - March 8, 2024- InstantCasinos.com recently got predictions and thoughts from numerous figures in the sport of Boxing on today's Heavyweight showdown between former two-time World Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and former UFC World Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, which can be seen below.


Carl Froch


Joshua will want to retire if he loses to Ngannou

Carl Froch: “Depending on how the fight goes with Ngannou, and if he was to lose, there’s always options for him. A loss isn’t always the end of the road. I’m not going to say if he loses to Ngannou he should retire. But if he does lose to Ngannou in a bad fight and gets knocked out, he’ll probably want to retire. Because you’ve made that much money, you’re in such a good position financially, why go on boxing and getting your head punched in when you don’t need to? That’s why I retired. I retired at 36 years old, because I thought I’d made enough money, I’ve got three kids at home and I’m healthy.”



Ricky Hatton


Hatton explains big Joshua ‘Worry’ ahead of Ngannou fight

Ricky Hatton: “It is a very interesting fight because AJ, as much as we love him, he can get hit and hurt. This could be a tricky night. Normally, from a defensive point of view, Fury is a lot harder to hit than AJ. I mean, AJ can sometimes be in front of you a little bit too much, which worries me in the Ngannou fight a little bit. There’s every chance that if Ngannou lands clean he could win.”



Ebanie Bridges


Glass chin AJ will be KO'd by Francis - says ex World Champ

Ebanie Bridges: "Of course Ngannou will {knockout AJ}. He's got the power. Anthony Joshua has a bit of a glass chin, doesn't he? He can get dropped and he seemingly gets hurt in every single fight. Joshua got hurt by Usyk, and he’s not even known for his power. Most definitely, Ngannou could go for the KO.”


Material and Courtesy of: InstantCasinos.com Used with permission.


Joshua vs. Ngannou takes place on Friday, March 8th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen globally on DAZN Pay-Per-View for $38.99 beginning at 11AM ET/8AM PT. For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, to subscribe and order this special pay-per-view event please visit: www.DAZN.com

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Will Ngannou Continue To Turn Heads Against Joshua?

In October of last year in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, former UFC World Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou shocked many in the Boxing world when in the latest novelty event featuring Mixed Martial Arts fighters stepping into the Boxing ring to face a star of the sweet science, he not only decked undefeated two-time Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury with a left hook in the third round of the scheduled ten round bout, but, despite coming out on the losing end of a controversial split decision, emerged as the winner in the view of many where, Fury, the current WBC world champion in the Heavyweight division put in a lackluster performance against a fighter with no previous professional Boxing experience. When one considers that the bout between Ngannou and Fury was thought to be at minimum a curiosity and at most was expected to be a mismatch due to the difference in experience between Fury one of two current world champions in the Heavyweight division, and Ngannou, who recently parted ways with the UFC and was never defeated for his world title in the sport of MMA, Ngannou’s performance was one that certainly turned heads. Not only was it an unexpected performance in the eyes of many, but it was impressive to such degree that it brought Ngannou’s future into question as in whether he would continue to compete in Boxing, or if he would return to MMA where he had recently signed a multi-fight deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) promotion.


It was not just that he scored a knockdown of a current Heavyweight world champion, but it was also the fact that he had Fury missing wildly throughout the fight, unable to keep his balance, and hurt periodically after the knockdown, which gave the impression that Ngannou may indeed have a future as a Heavyweight boxer. While this observer felt that Ngannou deserved the decision against Fury, who appeared to clearly take him lightly, I came away from that fight openly wondering when Ngannou would enter the Boxing ring again as well as calling for a rematch with Fury, who had a scheduled bout with undefeated unified WBO/IBF/WBA/IBO world champion Oleksandr Usyk for what will be the Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world prior to the bout with Ngannou, a fight that still has yet to take place as of this writing.


Although the fact that the fight between Fury and Usyk was signed prior to his non-title bout against Ngannou taking place left the impression of some that perhaps the scoring of the bout was perhaps influenced with the knowledge of that undisputed championship fight being in the pipeline, and perhaps not wanting to give a victory, which appeared clear, to a fighter with no experience over a current Heavyweight world champion, Ngannou still emerged looking as though he might have a bright future as a boxer. It was not long before Ngannou’s next potential opponent was being discussed when it became clear that Fury was going towards at least in theory, a showdown with Usyk. Enter Anthony Joshua.


Joshua, a former two-time Heavyweight world champion and current top contender will be the next to test Ngannou’s Boxing skills when the two meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in a bout that can be seen globally on DAZN Pay-Per-View. This fight seems as though it may be more favorable to Ngannou at least in terms of style. Joshua is known for his punching power and likes to come forward compared to Fury, who is a fighter with an awkward Boxing style with an emphasis on counter punching. Joshua has fought three times since losing a bid to become a three-time world champion in a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in August 2022. Of those three bouts, Joshua has scored knockouts in two of them including a stoppage of Otto Wallin in December of last year.


While much like Ngannou’s bout with Fury, there remains a curiosity, this fight may be viewed as more legitimate because now there is at least some evidence as to what Francis Ngannou can do in the Boxing ring. What may be different this time is Joshua has been more active than Fury had been prior to when he fought Ngannou and Joshua has always been a well conditioned fighter, whereas Fury has gone through periods where he has looked good, but has also allowed his weight to balloon where his performances have not been as impressive as when he appears to be in shape. Whether or not Joshua’s activity will make a difference going into this fight remains to be seen. 


What one should keep in mind as this fight approaches is a fight can end at any point with one punch and this especially holds true for the Heavyweight division. Despite being more experienced than his opponent, Anthony Joshua has been caught before and knocked down in his career as well as suffering one knockout loss at the hands of Andy Ruiz, when Joshua’s first reign as a world champion ended in June 2019. Although we do not know what will happen if Francis Ngannou gets hurt in a Boxing ring as of yet, he did show in his fight against Fury that his punching power, regarded as among the best in MMA, did carry over to Boxing and it will be interesting to see if he will be able to land solidly on Joshua, who is also a former Olympic Gold medalist. 


While it’s been more than a decade since Joshua won Olympic Gold in the 2012 Summer Olympics, the fact that he does have an Olympic background underscores the experience disadvantage Ngannou faces here in addition to Joshua’s professional accolades. The former two-time Heavyweight world champion, also having seen what Ngannou can do, will likely not be approaching this fight with a kid gloves mindset. Joshua is also taking a significant risk here in this fight in terms of his standing currently in hoping to secure another opportunity to become world champion. A loss to Francis Ngannou will likely not be a career ender for Joshua, but it will likely remove him from potentially being in line to fight for a world title in the near future. A win for Ngannou will catapult him into a list of contenders and will likely cement that his future may be in the Boxing ring and not in MMA.


A fight that is a curiosity, but one with potentially high stakes for both fighters. There truly is nothing like a Heavyweight fight where both fighters are capable of ending matters at any time with either hand. If this turns out to be as competitive as Fury-Ngannou turned out to be, it will no longer be a curiosity, it will be simply who is the better fighter.


“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”


Joshua vs. Ngannou takes place on Friday, March 8th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen globally on DAZN Pay-Per-View for $38.99 beginning at 11AM ET/8AM PT. For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, to subscribe and order this special pay-per-view event please visit: www.DAZN.com


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Friday, November 3, 2023

Schedule Update

We would like to let our readers know that due to circumstances beyond our control, we are between rounds and unfortunately have been unable to keep the schedule that was originally planned for this week. Material that was planned for release this week including follow ups to the Serrano-Ramos and Fury-Ngannou bouts will be included in a special year-end feature that will discuss some of the events of 2023 in the sport of Boxing that will be released during the month of December.


When we are able to resume the regular schedule, which will hopefully be within the next week or so, we will update to inform readers when that will be. In the interim, any additional content that has been sent in for release will be made available here on the website as they come in.


We do sincerely appreciate your patience, continued support, and apologize for any inconvenience this has caused as this pause in the schedule was not planned and something that was out of our control. Stay tuned.



"And That's The Boxing Truth." 



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