Former foe believes AJ is going to sleep for two days if Francis Ngannou touches his chin
Former Anthony Joshua opponent and Francis Ngannou sparring partner Carlos Takam seems to have all his faith in his fellow Cameroonian comrade to be victorious against AJ this Friday, March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to LuckyBlock.com, Ngannou’s sparring partner Takam said: “AJ chin is a big danger for him. If Francis touches his chin, AJ is going to sleep for two days. AJ is definitely going to sleep for two days because of Francis’s power.
“His power comes from our country, our village, our ancestors. It’s Bamileke power and you cannot play with that power. In the stories the Bamileke people were fighters and warriors and Francis has that warrior heritage. I’m sure 100 percent AJ will sleep for two days if Francis touches him.”
Now 43, Cameroon-born Carlos challenged AJ for his unified world heavyweight titles in 2017, eventually stopped in the 10th round after an excessive amount of punishment, but the Brit was unable to drop or stop his durable stand-in opponent.
After going 10 championship rounds with the Briton and many more with Ngannou in training, the African was able to break down the fight between them in detail, “Everyday I picture the fight between AJ and Francis and in my mind I see AJ knocked out. Francis is going to win that fight, but it’s not going to be easy. The strong guy is Francis, the smart guy is Francis, the only chance AJ has got is if he fights like Muhammed Ali. Keep the distance from Francis, fight AJ like Ali fought George Foreman. He needs to move like Ali.
“I think AJ is going to play it safe. I think the fight is going to play out like this: Francis will have to follow AJ around and AJ is going to place safe. I don’t think AJ will be taking risks, he won’t be confronting Francis. If he takes risks, he won’t finish that fight. If AJ confronts Francis that fight will be over in three rounds. But AJ’s going to play it smart because otherwise he’s in big danger.
“Against AJ you’re going to see a different Francis, a new boxer. Francis is going to shock the world. Francis learned a lot in the Tyson Fury fight. If he catches AJ like he caught Tyson, Francis will jump on AJ and finish the fight this time. Francis learned that from the Tyson Fury fight because when Tyson Fury went down, Francis did not really pay attention to the fact he put him down, I think he was really surprised, so I can tell you that’s what he learned from the Tyson fight.
“Francis has that killer instinct. He can break anyone at that moment. He finds that ancestral power and if it lands on you, you’re finished.
“It’s going to be difficult for AJ to get to Francis. When we spar now, it’s different to when he was an MMA fighter. It’s a big difference, he’s no longer an MMA fighter, he’s a world class boxer. I don’t know why people call him an MMA fighter who is trying to box, Francis is a boxer, a world class boxer.
“People forget that before Francis got into MMA he was a boxer in Africa, Francis was selected for the Olympic setup in Cameroon. He was selected for the national team. He didn’t go to the Olympics but he was in the national team. He was a good amateur boxer. When he arrived in Europe he was a boxer. He has a seriously good pedigree.”
It’s been well reported that Ngannou had a tough upbringing in Cameroon, where he was forced to work in the local sand quarries at the age of 10, fending off the local violent gangs who pressured him into working for them, as well as having an abusive dad who beat him and his family regularly.
Because of this background, Carlos believes he is hardened both mentally and physically, “Francis is so mentally strong because of the things he went through. He walked from Cameroon to Chad to Niger to Morocco and Libya and across the water to Spain.
“You must have a strong mind to go through that. When I speak to Francis I don’t ask him about that journey because I know it’s not a good story, I know it hurts. It’s really not good for him to bring up everything he went through to get to France. If you can get through that, you can do anything in this life, a fight with Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury is nothing.
“In the desert in Niger or the desert in Libya, people get shot. There were many people with Francis on that journey but not all made it to France. Many die in the desert or the water. He’s seen people dead. But when he arrived in France the struggle wasn’t finished.
“When he came to France no one cared for him or gave him a chance, they wanted to kick you and say go back to Africa, so he was outside and homeless and cold, nothing to wear, he had no shoes. That’s crazy. He gives people hope for all the little kids in Africa, France, UK and US. Believe in yourself and you can do anything. He gives hope to many people.”