Otto Wallin, the heavyweight contender, was equally surprised along with the entire boxing community when Francis Ngannou knocked down Tyson Fury. However, the Swede believes it’s improbable that a similar scenario will unfold when the two fighters face each other in Saudi Arabia on Friday. Ngannou managed to stun Fury with a powerful overhead left hand, causing the former world champion to hit the canvas. Yet, Fury struggled to recover from this early setback.
Ngannou, who had only been in a professional boxing ring for three months when he defeated Fury, has returned from a disappointing loss to Oleksandr Usyk and looks fine ahead of his fight with the ex-unified heavyweight champ. AJ rediscovered his dominant explosive streak in 2023, winning fights against Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius in low-key return bouts before demolishing Ngannou last December.
But Joshua will need to take his time to conquer Ngannou, who has the power and inner bully that shows in his fighting style. “Ngannou is a beast,” says the 33-year-old Swede, who was a sparring partner for Fury for several camps. He reminds me of Kimbo Slice, who has a more sophisticated understanding of combat. He’s a formidable street fighter turned professional boxer. “His performance against Fury showcased his inner grit, and he’ll be a persistent threat until the final bell.
“Ngannou’s a guy who can derail in-form AJ if he doesn’t use caution. If he doesn’t take care of his distance and doesn’t get in close, AJ will be a sitting duck for a lethal left hook. But I think AJ can stay in control and use his reach to his advantage.”
The fight in Riyadh is the first major boxing event to be staged in Saudi Arabia, and the venue, Alalshikh, has previously hosted events such as the Super Bowl and the Ryder Cup. Promoters Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn have mended their feud, and both men are in a relaxed mood, seemingly happy to be on the lucrative Saudi bill.
Hearn and Warren have made it clear they want to see a unification fight between Ngannou and Fury, but that is up to the two heavyweights. Fury will be focused on putting his career back together after a shambolic abysmal loss to Ngannou, and he has a rematch with fellow titlist Oleksandr Usyk planned for this December.
The winner of the AJ-Ngannou clash will then be in pole position to challenge for the IBF belt, currently held by New Zealand’s Joseph Parker, who is on the card alongside Ngannou and Joshua. Hearn and Warren said they would like to see the winner of the AJ-Ngannou fight take on WBA champion Deontay Wilder in a megafight at Wembley Stadium in March next year. Wilder has been linked with a rematch with Fury, but he may face a mandatory defense against Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic before facing the Briton.
