Former WBO cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson has shared his belief that all of Anthony Joshua’s past success will be forgotten about if he were to lose to Francis Ngannou, believing ‘AJ’ should have avoided the fight as the risk outweighs the reward.
Anthony Joshua won the gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics before turning professional the following year, and taking just two-and-a-half years to become heavyweight champion with a perfect record of 16-0, with 16 knockouts.
Since then Joshua has unified the belts with a victory over Wladimir Klitschko, and became a two-time champion after avenging his shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr.
However, in an interview with Sky Sports, Nelson declared that his achievements will count for nothing if he loses to the former UFC superstar, who will enter the ring as an 0-1 professional boxer in just over two weeks’ time.
“For Ngannou, he has to get him in close, drag him into a war, drag him into his kind of a fight, because he is never going to outbox Anthony Joshua.
“The risk way outweighs the reward. The risk is that, if Anthony Joshua loses somehow to Ngannou, that is it. Credibility is gone. Career is in tatters. It would take a lot of rebuilding, how is he ever going to get his head around losing to Ngannou?
“The risk is far foo high, why would you [take it]? This guy has had one fight, you have got no excuse to lose to this guy, he has had one professional boxing match.
“If you lose to him, any excuse, whatever you have done, all of the Olympics, all of the success, being two-time heavyweight champion, it’s all gone.”
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou takes place on Friday March 8th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and will be shown live on DAZN PPV and Sky Sports Box Office.