Johnny Nelson warns Anthony Joshua he will have no excuse if he loses to Francis Ngannou
Former world cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson MBE is bewildered by Anthony Joshua’s decision to fight dangerman Francis Ngannou on March 9, acknowledging the jeopardy in facing the former UFC heavyweight champion.
The fight – taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – will put the victor on a collision course with the winner of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk, with the undisputed heavyweight showdown rescheduled for May 18.
But, while picking Joshua to come through with flying colours, Nelson does not understand why the former two-time world heavyweight champion is putting it all on the line against “The Predator”, who proved against Fury that he is a highly dangerous puncher.
Speaking on Sky Sports, 57-year-old Nelson said: “The risk way outweighs the reward. If Anthony Joshua loses to Ngannou… credibility’s gone, career is in tatters. How is he ever going to get his head round losing to Ngannou?
“You’ve got no excuse to lose to this guy, he’s had one professional boxing match.”
Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) comes off a fifth-round stoppage win over Otto Wallin in December last year, when the Brit put on a scintillating performance that merged his aggression with a new-found aptitude for defensive manoeuvres.
This will be the 34-year-old’s second camp with trainer Ben Davison, who has seemingly had a significant involvement in Joshua’s recent improvements.
However, while claiming that AJ needs to adopt a more measured approach in this next assignment, puncher-turned-pundit Nelson does not rule out the possibility of him reverting back to his old style.
“I would not be surprised at all if Anthony Joshua thought: I’m going to stay in the pocket and knock you out,” Nelson added.
“Ngannou’s job is to get in close, get inside those long shots. That’s where his best work will be done.
“He has to drag him into a war, drag him into his type of fight, because he’s never going to outbox Anthony Joshua.”