Anthony Joshua has always shown himself to be a keen boxing historian but in naming seven of what he thinks are the greatest ever heavyweights, he has surprised some people with one shock inclusion.
Famously, Joshua is always keen to learn as much as he can from any fighter past or present and is often seen asking questions to that effect so that he can hone his own game.
Ngannou is a former UFC heavyweight champion turned boxer who in his debut contest last October pushed WBC and lineal champion Tyson Fury hard over 10 rounds and also managed to knock him down in the third.
Their fight is part of a big bill that also features the likes of Joseph Parker vs. Zileih Zhang and before that Joshua has been speaking about some of the best big men ever to so Queensbury.
He was asked to rank fighters as they were named and started with naming Muhammad Ali as “the Goat.”
Frank Bruno he named “champion, “Dubois “world level” Fury “champion,” David Haye “world level,” Evander Holyfield “goat,” Solomon Dacres “mid-level,” Hrgovic “mid-level” and himself he called “champion.”
Joe Joyce was “mid-level,” while Wladimir Klitschko and Lennox Lewis go “goat,” Ngannou was “world level” Robert Helenius “mid-level,”, Rocky Marciano was “goat,” Fabio Wardley “mid-level”, Mike Tyson “goat,” Oleksandr Usyk “champion, “Dillian Whyte “world level,” Deontay Wilder “champion,” Zileih Zhang “mid-level.”
One inclusion stood out, however, as Derek Chisora was “the goat.”
“He has been around for a long time, man. He has seen the good, the bad and the ugly of boxing so he’s the goat. He should be retired but he’s still going on.”