‘Joshua can’t stand Ngannou’s power punch’

Former UFC fighter Dan Hardy says former boxing heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua would not be able to deal with the power of Francis Ngannou’s punch.

This comes after Ngannou knocked Fury down in their clash last weekend but went on to lose by a controversial split decision, with many people believing the Cameroonian deserved the win.

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From there, Ngannou has been touted for fights against countless heavyweights, including Anthony Joshua.

AJ’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, revealed that he has been in contact with Ngannou’s team and likes the idea of making that fight in Africa.

But, Hardy does not believe Joshua would stand any better against Ngannou than Fury did, as he told Sky Sports: “[Ngannou] of all people on the planet right now I would say could hold a heavyweight title in boxing and MMA simultaneously. That is an unthinkable thing.”

Hardy continued: “Even Anthony Joshua. I feel like he can’t deal with the power of Ngannou. Both physiologically and psychologically.

“I feel like if AJ hit the canvas in the third round, he would not regroup like Tyson Fury did.

“The likes of Derek Chisora or Carlos Takam or Joe Joyce, who’s upright, places his punches like amateur boxing points scoring style, that’s a great matchup for Francis Ngannou.

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“So with the right match-ups, the right progress, I honestly think he could be the PFL heavyweight champ and the WBC champ simultaneously.”