Francis Ngannou had a false sense of confidence going into the Anthony Joshua fight, according to Dillian Whyte
Dillian Whyte (29-3, 19 KOs) opines that Francis Ngannou was underprepared when he faced Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs), with his performance against Tyson Fury being misleading.
The former UFC heavyweight champion was brutally knocked out by Joshua in the second round of their encounter last Friday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Dillian Whyte suggests that the confidence Ngannou gained by dropping Fury in the third round of their contest last October was, ultimately, what led to his undoing.
Speaking with Sky Sports, Whyte said: “Francis is not experienced enough to beat the top guys. He got a bit complacent because he did well against Fury but Fury didn’t take him seriously.
“Fury just thought he was going to outbox him and he gave Fury some problems but that was his undoing.
“I think that fight gave him false confidence to the point where, when he was getting hammered with big punches, he stayed in the pocket and he wasn’t trying to move his head or hold or anything.
“He went down, stood up in the same place. Didn’t move his head, went down, stood up in the same place and basically waited for the third right hand.”
With Robert Helenius stepping in as a last minute replacement, the 35-year-old was denied his shot at revenge over his domestic rival, who stopped him in the seventh round of their first encounter back in 2015.
But now, Whyte has been cleared to resume his career after a contaminated supplement was found to have caused his positive drugs test.
“The Body Snatcher’s” ring return is set to take place in Ireland this Sunday, as he will take on Romanian veteran Christian Hammer in a bid to revive his career.