Francis Ngannou rose to glory in boxing rather immediately. The Cameroonian mixed martial artist went toe-to-toe with the best heavyweight, Tyson Fury, in his very first boxing match. More impressively, he nearly defeated the WBC heavyweight champion. However, ‘The Predator’ has more to accomplish in his boxing career.

The former UFC heavyweight champion is about to enter the ring against Anthony Joshua for the first time since a close split decision loss to Fury last year. So, ahead of his March 8 fight at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the hardest puncher in the UFC revealed the three names in the heavyweight division he would love to destroy. The situation unfolded in an Off The Cuff interview with DAZN Boxing.

Francis Ngannou claims boxing won’t end until he fights these guys

Speaking to Ngannou, the host of the show brought up the upcoming showdown, asking about Ngannou’s thoughts on Joshua. In response, the Las Vegas resident claimed, “He’s there probably around number two, three, something like that. When you think about boxing if you follow boxing or just think about heavyweight boxing, [in] the past decade…there [hasn’t] been a moment [when]…Anthony Joshua…hasn’t been in the top three.”

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Francis Ngannou goes on to describe his dream of fighting certain boxers. “Three names that I had in mind – Tyson Fury, Antony Joshua, Deontay Wilder. I still have those three names. This won’t end until I fight Wilder and Tyson Fury rematch,” said Ngannou. Meanwhile, Ngannou’s coach claimed the upcoming fight will end with a knockout. 

Coach Dewey Cooper compares Anthony Joshua to Tyson Fury

With barely any time left in the fight, Ngannou’s coach, Dewey Cooper, appeared in an interview with Ariel Helwani. During the interview, after some speculations, Cooper explained that “Tyson Fury’s definitely more durable, if not having the better chin [compared to Joshua].” Moreover, speaking about the outcome of the upcoming fight, Cooper revealed his prediction.

“I’m not going to say [Joshua is] chinny, it’s just that if he gets hit clean in the heavyweight division, a lot of guys will go down,” said Cooper. Later in the interview, he also added, “I can tell you one thing: Francis is ready to go. He’s ready to shock the world again. Lightning will strike twice.”

With that said, Francis Ngannou has proved he belongs among the elites in the heavyweight division. However, can ‘The Predator’ defeat the younger, Anthony Joshua, to put the whole division on notice? Only time has the answer to that question! Who are you betting on this weekend?

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