Ngannou Sends Joshua An Ominous Warning – ‘I’m Going To Take His Soul’
Francis Ngannou has promised to take Anthony Joshua’s soul ahead of their boxing bout on March 8.
The two have a deal to face off in Saudi Arabia, which will be Ngannou’s second boxing fight. On his debut against Tyson Fury, he defied the expectations by putting on an impressive performance. He dropped the WBC Heavyweight Champion and made it to the final bell. Although he lost a split decision, he did earn a WBC top-ten ranking.
He has set his sights on avenging the Fury loss; a victory over Joshua will be a big step in doing that. Ngannou also knows a win gives him a shot at the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship, as the victor will face either Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk.
But Ngannou is facing a rejuvenated man in Joshua. Since teaming up with Ben Davidson, Joshua has looked more impressive. During their first fight, Joshua stopped Otto Wallin, making him quit on the stool. Before the fight, Wallin only had one loss. That was against Fury as he pushed the Gypsy King to the final bell. Despite this, Ngannou was prepared for whatever was coming his way. He vowed to leave an impression as he sent Joshua a warning.
Ngannou On Joshua
“Never say never. Nothing is impossible. We don’t know the strength of Anthony Joshua. Even though I don’t believe he has that strength, we’re going to find out [if he does]. In two months, we’re going to find out. I’m going to be the one taking his soul,” Ngannou said
Ricky Hatton has also warned that Joshua could get stopped due to Ngannou’s unpredictability. Joshua has been stopped previously when the pressure was on him. During his American debut, Andy Ruiz got the better of him and stopped the Brit.
Joseph Parker’s performance against Deontay Wilder is also a warning for Joshua. Parker beat the Bronze Bomber in a one-sided unanimous decision when Wilder was the big favourite. A Wilder victory would have set up the Joshua fight since both men had signed a contract. So, the precedent is set for an upset, so Joshua must be wary.
Hatton On Joshua
“I can see where Eddie Hearn is going with AJ in order to make the match because Tyson couldn’t of struggled anymore. If Joshua goes out there and impresses, it can only work in his favor. [Joshua] can be hurt, knocked down and stopped and when you think of the size and punching power Ngannou has got, there’s every chance he could knock AJ out, but the bigger picture is, Joshua is a very rounded, accomplished boxer,” Hatton stated
There are natural question marks over how good Ngannou’s performance against Fury was. Was it a one-off, and did Fury overlook Ngannou, or was it a case of Ngannou putting on a remarkable performance? These are all questions which will become clearer come fight night.
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