Ricky Hatton believes it could be “a tricky night” for Anthony Joshua in Francis Ngannou fight
Ricky Hatton spoke to Instant Casinos about this weekend’s big heavyweight showdown in the Middle East.
Former world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24KO), will clash with UFC star, Francis Ngannou (0-1) over 10-rounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this Friday, March 8.
Ahead of the clash in the Arabian capital, ‘The Hitman’ Ricky Hatton has warned Anthony Joshua that he risks being hit hard and hurt by Francis Ngannou, if he fails to maintain his footwork and ring mobility throughout the fight.
The former two-weight world champion, Hatton, said, “It is a very interesting fight because AJ, as much as we love him, he can get hit and hurt.
“This could be a tricky night. Normally, from a defensive point of view, Fury is a lot harder to hit than AJ. I mean, AJ can sometimes be in front of you a little bit too much, which worries me in the Ngannou fight a little bit.
“There’s every chance that if Ngannou lands clean he could win, but if you’re asking me where my last pound would go, I think it’d be on AJ.”
Ngannou was well known for being a fearsome puncher in UFC, but no one, especially Tyson Fury and his team, expected him to so well in his professional boxing debut last October.
Not only did the boxing novice match Fury, but he was able to deck the WBC ruler in round three and win the fight on one judge’s scorecards, but the other two officials at ringside went the other way, scuppering the chance for the biggest heavyweight debut win in history.
Joshua’s confidence is sky-high after three consecutive wins ahead of Friday’s ‘Knockout Chaos’ card, but Hatton thinks the complacency, which Tyson Fury was unprofessionally exposed of by Ngannou, shouldn’t be an issue, now that the element of surprise has gone.
Hatton added, “AJ has come back strongly. His performances have been getting better and better all the time.
“I think he’s going to shine against Ngannou. I think Fury took Ngannou lightly, he didn’t come in in the best of shape. Tyson was very easy to hit because he didn’t come in as trim as he normally does, so his upper body movement wasn’t good and Ngannou was able to nail him.
“I think this is a fight where AJ can shine. He does have great boxing ability, he’s won an Olympic gold medal and he’s a two-time heavyweight champion for a reason.”