Chisora anticipates a gruelling battle for Joshua against Ngannou.
Derek Chisora holds the belief that Anthony Joshua is in for an arduous battle when he faces Francis Ngannou. As a former two-time heavyweight boxing champion, Joshua aims to re-establish his position among the top contenders by defeating Ngannou at the upcoming ‘Knockout Chaos’ event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 8.
It is widely expected that Joshua, being a renowned professional boxer, will emerge victorious against an opponent who recently made his boxing debut against Tyson Fury last October. Although Ngannou managed to knock down Fury, he ultimately suffered a contentious split decision loss.
In Joshua’s illustrious 30-fight career, he has faced formidable opponents such as Dillian Whyte, Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, Andy Ruiz, and Oleksandr Usyk. However, Chisora contends that Ngannou poses the toughest challenge thus far due to his lack of experience in professional boxing.
Chisora emphasises that Ngannou’s limited exposure to the sport makes him a more formidable adversary than the world-class fighters Joshua has previously encountered. The uncertainty surrounding this bout intensifies the pressure on Joshua as he not only represents himself but also the sport of boxing as a whole.
Chisora acknowledges that Ngannou’s encounter with Tyson Fury only lasted for 10 rounds and involved rough fighting tactics such as uppercuts. Nevertheless, it was in one of these rounds that Ngannou managed to knock down Fury. This element of unpredictability contributes to Chisora’s belief that this will be Joshua’s toughest fight.
Despite Chisora’s praise for Ngannou’s abilities, he ultimately predicts that Joshua will triumph over his most challenging opponent yet. Chisora confidently asserts that Joshua will achieve a knockout victory.
A standout performance in this fight would position Joshua perfectly to challenge the winner of the historic four-belt undisputed clash between Fury and Usyk scheduled for May 18. If Fury and Usyk opt for a rematch instead, Joshua may target becoming a three-time world champion by facing Filip Hrgovic for the vacant IBF heavyweight title.
