Fighter Focus: Francis Ngannou will find Anthony Joshua harder to beat than Tyson Fury

What a difference a day makes. On the morning of 28th October 2023, Francis Ngannou was boxing’s latest chancer. A superstar of MMA and a former UFC heavyweight champion, it now looked as if the 37-year-old was cashing in on his profile for one last paycheck. Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, Frank Mir and Conor McGregor are just a few of the former UFC titlists to try boxing on for size with financial rather than competitive motivations. Now the reality of a fight with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury stared Francis in the face.

By that night, Ngannou was no longer a tourist in an unfamiliar world. Over the course of 10 non-title rounds, he had given Fury hell. The boxing debutant put the reigning world heavyweight champion on the canvas in the third round. At the end of 30 minutes of action, a split decision in Fury’s favour denied Ngannou the most improbable victory of them all. But despite being denied on the scorecards, justifiably it should be said as Fury did just about enough to win, Ngannou’s star had risen to untold heights.

It could be argued that no defeat in professional boxing history has done more for the sufferer. The WBC installed Ngannou in the top 10 of their heavyweight rankings. No matter how well he did against Fury, putting a fighter with no victories above the likes of Joe Joyce and British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley is baffling to say the least. 

But even beyond the fanciful world of the World Boxing Council, it is safe to say losing to Fury in such honourable fashion opened doors that remain locked for other heavyweights. Even Filip Hrgovic, the IBF number one contender, was passed over. The Croatian had been expected to face Anthony Joshua next, but the Brit will now fight Ngannou in March. ‘AJ’ was among those critical of Fury for taking the Ngannou fight back in October. But Joshua is now the one following the money.

Other major names were campaigning for a fight with ‘AJ’. Zhilei Zhang, the Chinese power-puncher who has just stopped Joe Joyce twice, openly campaigned for a match-up with Joshua. Joseph Parker beat Deontay Wilder last month in 2023’s most spectacular upset. He too seemed a natural fit for a Joshua bout. Both these men have history with Joshua too. The Brit beat Zhang at the 2012 Olympics on his way to the gold medal. Parker lost his WBO heavyweight title to Joshua in a unification bout in 2018. But it is Ngannou who gets the nod, 0-1 record and all.

There are many ways to look at Ngannou’s half-hour in a boxing ring. Some have taken his excellent performance against Fury at face value. If he can fight on equal terms with the best heavyweight on the planet, surely he can do it to anyone? 

These proclamations focus on the power of ‘The Predator’. On the way he knocked Fury down in the third and had him hurt throughout the fight. They hone in on his knockout wins over MMA royalty like Stipe Miocic, Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez. Ngannou can bang, no question. 

But how likely is he to be able to apply that power to the chin of Anthony Joshua? ‘AJ’ can certainly be gotten to. Andy Ruiz Jr had him on the canvas on the way to his June 2020 upset win over the Watford man. Wladimir Klitschko sent him sprawling in 2017 too, though Joshua recovered to win by TKO in the 11th round. However, Ruiz and Klitschko have forgotten more about the art of pugilism than Ngannou has ever known. Two seasoned, technical campaigners have had ‘AJ’ on the mat. But Ngannou is more about blunt force trauma. 

As wonderful as Ngannou’s display was against Fury, it did benefit from the element of surprise. Everyone, Fury included, seemed to expect the sort of tame display MMA fighters usually put up when crossing over into boxing. The striking in each sport is drastically different and most combatants don’t adapt well to the other world. 

But Ngannou was just about well-schooled enough to cause problems. He moved like a boxer, behind a higher guard than the typical stance seen in the UFC. The Cameroonian cut the ring off like a boxer, not an MMA fighter who has to worry about kicks and takedowns coming his way. 

The surprise Fury felt was compounded by the fact he clearly took the fight lightly. His body was soft, his movements sluggish. ‘The Gypsy King’ fought like a man who thought he simply had to turn up in order to win. And yet, he still won the fight. Once the furore over Ngannou’s surprise display subsided, most sensible observers admit Fury deserved the split decision he was awarded.

If Ngannou couldn’t finish the job against an out-of-shape Fury who wasn’t taking him seriously, he will have a torrid time against Joshua. ‘AJ’ will not risk a similar humbling to Fury. Expect the former two-time heavyweight champion to turn up in impeccable shape and with a stoppage on his mind. His December win over Otto Wallin was the most vicious Joshua has looked in years. He is a man fighting with renewed focus as he enters the last act of his career. There is no way Joshua risks one last tilt at the heavyweight title by under-preparing for a clash with Ngannou.

For all his gifts, I expect this to be something of a last hurrah for Ngannou’s brief stay at the top of heavyweight boxing. At 0-2, he would be too much of a risk with not enough reward for any of the top heavyweights. Fights with Parker, Zhang or Hrgovic would be a hard sell off the back of two losses. There will always be fighters willing of course. I imagine Ngannou vs Derek Chisora is almost nailed on to happen at some point. 

But Ngannou’s best move after banking another heaving purse for fighting Joshua would probably be to start fulfilling that record contract he signed with the PFL. At 37, he doesn’t have a vast amount of time left as an active fighter in any sport. Why not spend those years dominating in MMA, where he is still one of the best fighters on the planet, rather than as a boxing curiosity?

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