Hall of Fame boxing promoter Frank Warren is excited to see how things play out when Francis Ngannou makes his highly anticipated return to the ring for a showdown with Anthony Joshua.
Earlier this month, renowned combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani broke the news that the former UFC heavyweight champion would step back inside the squared circle later this year following his impressive pro boxing debut against Tyson Fury in October. This time, Ngannou will be matched up with the former unified heavyweight titleholder.
No official date has been announced, but the bout is expected to emanate from the Saudi Arabian capital.
Warren, who worked with both fighters’ teams to bring the bout together, shared his take on how the unexpected clash came about and how he sees things potentially playing out between the two heavy-hitting titans.
“He’s getting well paid for it and that’s what they’re out there for,” Warren told Seconds Out. “Both of them are getting well paid. Tyson [Fury] got well paid too, but Ngannou has shown if he catches you, he can hurt you. He’s done that as a UFC fighter. He’s a 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 with them 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 near any of the heavyweights out there if he catches them. He’s that type of fighter. He’s a big puncher and he can surely box a bit.”
🥊 What are your predictions for Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou fight? pic.twitter.com/DE1LRjM4Z6
— Michael Ben (@brentworld00) January 10, 2024
Warren is Excited to See What Francis Ngannou Has Learned Since His Fight with Tyson Fury
While Francis Ngannou is coming off a closely contested split decision loss against Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua will ride into Riyadh on a three-fight win streak. His most recent victory came against Otto Wallin in the Day of Reckoning main event last month. Joshua finished Wallin via a fifth-round TKO, moving him to 27-3 with 24 of his wins coming by way of knockout.
“For AJ going into the fight, at least he’s seen him in the boxing ring,” Warren added. “He’s seen him. Seen how he performs in a boxing ring against probably the best heavyweight in the world. 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 fighting him now will be looking to see what they feel will be the chinks in his armor and 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 gonna go and just try to take him out? I don’t know. I think he’s gonna 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.”
With Anthony Joshua currently occupying the No. 2 spot in the WBC heavyweight rankings, a win for either fighter could put them in line to face the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk later this year.
Watch the full interview below:
