Former WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew has laid out his prediction for this Friday’s crossover showdown between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou, with the winner expected to challenge for heavyweight gold in the near-future.
Ngannou shocked the world when he dropped Tyson Fury on his professional boxing debut back In October, but was still unable to get the victory, losing by a razor-thin split-decision.
Now the Cameroonian is aiming to go one better, and defeat two-time champion Joshua, who looked back to his best against Otto Wallin in December, following a run of below-par performances.
In his article with DAZN, Bellew revealed that he is expecting to see the brutal finishing of ‘AJ’ that British fight fans fell in love with.
“Joshua can hurt Ngannou and I think if he can do it early then the fight will immediately become his. Joshua is a ruthless finisher once he gets a fighter in trouble and this fight can go quick if AJ can make a dent in Ngannou in the opening stages.
“The more likely outcome is a middle rounds stoppage for the guy with more boxing experience. Joshua will start quick to get in control of the fight and that approach will give Ngannou plenty to think about. I see AJ picking up rounds before he slows Ngannou down and wastes no time finishing the job when the opportunity comes up.
“If the fight plays out the way I think it will then it’ll be all eyes on Fury against Oleksandr Usyk in May as Joshua will want the winner. He can only get that fight by looking unstoppable against Ngannou and that’s what I’m expecting when the first bell goes on Friday night. Joshua to win by stoppage and to look good doing so.
Fans will see whether Bellew’s prediction is correct when Joshua-Ngannou goes ahead of Friday night, topping a stellar bill that features three title bouts, that can be watched on both DAZN PPV and Sky Sports Box Office.