Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou is just two weeks away, and a heavyweight star who has sparred both men has given a defiant prediction on the fight.
Former UFC superstar Ngannou is looking to go one better than he did against Tyson Fury and shock the world again, but this time achieve a first professional win when he faces Joshua.
‘AJ’ is in good form heading into the bout, earning wins over Otto Wallin, Robert Helenius and Jermaine Franklin in 2023, and ahead of the Joshua vs. Franklin clash, British heavyweight prospect Matty Harris has offered his opinion after sparring both men.
Harris is currently 5-1 as a professional, debuting in 2021 and winning his first five bouts, with all bar his debut coming by first-round knockout.
However, just as the hype train was getting going for the 24-year-old, he suffered a shock stoppage defeat of his own to Ukrainian Konstiantyn Dovbyshchenko, who was 9-13-1 at the time.
In an interview with Seconds Out, Harris recalled his experience of sparring both fighters, but had no doubts as to who will come out on top.
“AJ goes through him. The thing with Ngannou, that is quite challenging I suppose, is his physical strength. He is incredibly physically strong.
“You know when you first clash with someone, you get into that first clinch, I imagine that might have caught Fury by surprise. He’s an incredibly strong individual, when I met him, his abs were popping out through his top.
“I’ve never seen anyone built so strong. I remember when he grabbed me during a spar, in a little bit of a clinch, and I had never felt like such a victim in all of my life.”
Joshua-Ngannou goes ahead on Friday March 8th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, live on both DAZN PPV and Sky Sports Box Office, topping a bill that also features an intriguing battle for the WBO interim heavyweight title, between Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker.
Meanwhile, Matty Harris will seek to bounce back with a win, as he returns on the Abass Baraou vs. Sam Eggington card next Friday on Channel 5, where he will operate under new trainer Peter Fury for the first time against Amine Boucetta (8-10).