JEFF POWELL: Anthony Joshua can keep his Tyson Fury fantasy alive by dodging and dancing his way through his match against Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia.
On Friday, Anthony Joshua will face Francis Ngannou, the former UFC champion.
Joshua’s dreams of facing Tyson Fury in an all-British match will remain alive if he wins.
But a loss may completely shatter AJ’s chances of winning another championship in Riyadh.
Was it a thoughtless aside, a thoughtless remark, or a very subtle statement of meaning meant for the ears of those who would listen?
Anthony Joshua responded, “I love boxing,” when asked how long he planned to pursue the third heavyweight title, which would bring him to the prize-ring throne. Joshua is an Olympic gold medallist and two-time world champion. I enjoy working out every day, so once I defeat Francis Ngannou this Friday night, I’ll keep doing it on Monday morning.
“Without boxing, I would only be a fourth of the man I am,” he said as he started to turn away and looked back at the array of microphones.
AJ is affluent, intelligent, and has accomplished more than most in this cruel field to qualify as a success.
He is always respectful of his elders, which is great for me in case a performance requires a critical assessment, which he is currently unable to pay for.
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On Friday, Francis Ngannou (R) and Anthony Joshua (L) will square off inside the boxing ring.
+6 See the galleryThe British athlete is hoping that defeating Ngannou will clear the way for him to contend for another championship.
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The path to another title shot for Anthony Johnson would be blown away by the desert wind if Cameroonian octagon legend Francis Ngannou connects even harder than he did on his boxing debut, five months ago, when he sat Tyler Fury on his ample derriere here.
I hope my interpretation of that one philosophical line shows that he is determined to keep doing what he does best, even if it is also a testimonial to the motivation boxing has given him. Not yet, exactly.
Joshua is set to gift the UFC legend with more than a stone in weight. Ngannou’s weight was 19 stone 6 lbs. Subsequently, Joshua reached the exact height of eighteen feet, much to the cheers of several hundred supporters who had traveled to Saudi Arabia.
Should he defeat Ngannou, ideally with greater vigor than Fury did, he will be first in line to face Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine or the Gypsy King for the undisputed world heavyweight title, which they will fight for on May 18 on another one of these steamy nights in Riyadh.
Until now, no practitioner of mixed martial arts would have been granted a dog’s opportunity to defeat a world champion in boxing. However, the hundreds of millions of dollars that the Saudi Kingdom is spending on the best fighters in the world have made a difference.
Ngannou nearly defeated the legendary, but smug, heavyweight champion that night when he faced Fury. That can happen to anyone with a lot of money.
Although Joshua is also affluent, he has been warned of the danger that almost befell the Gypsy King. On the plus side, Ngannou’s ring skills—which were far superior than Fury had predicted—will have improved from his first encounter in the roped square.
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Joshua, who weighed in at eighteen stone, will be giving the UFC legend more than a stone in weight.
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In October, Ngannou knocked down and surprised Tyson Fury during their fight in Riyadh.
“We all knew Francis could punch, but none of us anticipated him to shape up like a boxer, judge distance like a boxer, and switch from southpaw to orthodox like a very good boxer,” promoter Frank Warren said in a statement that captured the amazement. Joshua must be performing at his best.
According to AJ, he will be. If he defeats Usyk, he stated, “I’m looking for the knockout and after that to smash Fury’s jaw for all the ugly things he’s said about me.” Joshua has the benefit of being the one to make the musical decisions. The way he decides to fight will determine the course of the 10-round match.
His choices are quite interesting. If he goes for a spectacular knockout, he leaves himself vulnerable to being caught by the most potent blow in combat sports—the Ngannou punch.
If Joshua was already nervous, it will only get worse when his opponent says, “I didn’t quite land it perfectly when I laid Fury down.” Joshua won’t ever get up, unlike Tyson, if I strike him hard enough.
As an alternative, AJ can box from range, using his superb jab to finish Ngannou out. It’s how he handled winning his rematch with Mexican fighter Andy Ruiz Jr., who had defeated him the first time around.
