Francis Ngannou reminded everyone that he’s “just a beginner” in professional boxing.
On March 8, Ngannou will face Anthony Joshua in a ten-round boxing match inside the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia. Following his shocking performance against Tyson Fury, the former UFC heavyweight champion’s boxing skills has earned the respect of the combat sports community.
Earlier today, Ngannou and Joshua met for their first press conference and staredown. After several people had their time to talk, the Cameroonian legend had this to say about his upcoming fight and the respect he’s received since nearly defeating Fury:
“I’ve been sitting here listening to people talking and even Eddie [Hearn] praising me, which I appreciate that, but at the same time, I’m not sure if he’s honest or if he just want to get me sleep on his guy, which that’s not going to happen. I’m just a beginner out here that’s going to train really hard and do everything and come as an underdog to win the fight.”
Ngannou continued:
“So, I don’t take my last fight as a reference. I think I get this done. I think that I get everything. I know exactly where I am at. I’m just a beginner, and I’m definitely going to come up better. Yes, get better and better. So, that’s how I see things. I’m getting prepared for a hard fight. Yes, the Tyson Fury fight was great, it was awesome, but that’s now in the past, and I have a new challenge in front of me.”
Watch Ngannou’s comments on the recent press conference below:
Francis Ngannou teases potential undisputed heavyweight world title shot with win against Anthony Joshua
On February 17, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will meet in Saudi Arabia to determine the undisputed heavyweight boxing world champion. Meanwhile, there are rumors of Anthony Joshua potentially fighting the winner of Fury vs. Usyk if he defeats Francis Ngannou.
With that said, Ngannou can’t be overlooked against Joshua after his performance against Fury. Therefore, ‘The Predator’ believes he could instead get the next undisputed heavyweight boxing world title shot if he emerges victorious against ‘AJ.’
During the previously mentioned press conference, Ngannou teased a future undisputed world title fight with a win on March 8:
“I take it even more serious now than before because now I think there is something more on the line, which is probably the undisputed [world heavyweight title]. Let’s see, maybe I will do something that nobody has done before, and I really believe that I have the tools of doing that. Starting off with having a win against AJ on March 8th in Riyadh.”
Before worrying about what’s next, Francis Ngannou is fully locked in on Anthony Joshua. Since suffering back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua has bounced back with three consecutive wins in 2023 against Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, and Otto Wallin.
