Tom Aspinall is highly impressed with Francis Ngannou’s boxing level ahead of Anthony Joshua clash
UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall spoke with Nordic Bet to preview this Friday’s Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou, taking place in Saudi Arabia on March 8.
The 30-year-old MMA fighter said, “I think it’s a 50/50 fight. If you would’ve asked me two years ago about this fight, I would have said that is the stupidest question somebody has ever asked me. AJ will walk over him, easy.
“As someone who has done a lot of sparring with Tyson Fury and has seen him up close and watched him spar a lot of rounds, I think Tyson Fury’s level of boxing is absolutely incredible. I can’t say enough great things about him. To see what Francis Ngannou did to him is mind blowing for somebody like me.”
Against all odds, Ngannou was able to not only match Fury in his professional boxing debut last October, but also able to knock down the WBC ruler in the third round, much to the surprise of spectators around the world.
“Now I’m really high on Francis Ngannou’s boxing level. I think he’s brilliant and has a chance against anybody. If he can do what he did against Tyson Fury, he has a chance against anybody. When you’re talking about two power punchers in him and Anthony Joshua, I’m going to be absolutely glued to the TV. It’s going to be incredible, and I wouldn’t be surprised how it goes either way inside the distance.”
The Salford man provided an update on his own fighting career, “I have five fights left at the UFC in my contract so there’s no chance of me leaving the UFC anytime soon. I’m not interested in leaving the UFC at this point in my career. It doesn’t look like Francis Ngannou is coming back to the UFC so I don’t see how it [a fight] would happen right now.”