LET’S GET READY TO HUMBLE
Ngannou: Fury was a playboy, Joshua never trash talks
FRANCIS NGANNOU is preparing for a PG buildup to his fight against Anthony Joshua – after putting up with Tyson Fury’s “playboy” antics.
Ex-UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou will have his second professional boxing fight against Joshua on March 8 following his controversial encounter with Fury last October.
Ngannou was poked and prodded by Fury in the lead up to their crossover clash but put his rival’s taunts behind him to drop the Brit in the third round before slipping to a narrow points defeat in Saudi Arabia. Joshua, who has won his last three fights, has opted not to take the same trashtalking approach as he targets another world title shot later this year.
And Ngannou said: “Anthony Joshua never trash talks, his personality is more serious, unlike Tyson Fury who is more like a playboy.
“When it comes to fighting, they both know how to fight and that’s what I’m focused on.
“He might have been nervous but that doesn’t mean anything. In fact being nervous means he is taking things seriously.
“It’s important because he’s going to do his best to show up on the day with everything.” Ngannou brought a frightening knockout record from the cage to the ring – and almost added Fury to his list of victims.
But while the Riyadh rumble is billed as ‘Knockout Chaos’, Joshua has declined to predict he will win by stoppage.
Ngannou added: “Refusing to say doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want it. He’s just being sceptical. Even when you say it, it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. I don’t usually fight looking for the knockout, except for one, and it didn’t end well.
“The knockout is something that will come naturally, but based on the statistics or style they can assume it’s going to end in a knockout. Overall, it’s not something you can guarantee because you don’t know what’s going to happen in a fight.”
Ngannou has spent five weeks acclimatising in the Middle East and has already announced his return to MMA.
The 37-year-old will take on the winner of Renan Ferreira’s clash with Ryan Bader, who meet in the desert tonight (SAT).