[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] likes [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]’s chances vs. [autotag]Anthony Joshua[/autotag].
Following a close decision loss in his debut against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in October, Ngannou (0-1) has drawn another marquee name in Joshua (27-3). The pair will throw down March 8 in Saudi Arabia in what will be just the second professional boxing bout for Ngannou.
With Ngannou going the distance with Fury and even knocking him down, Cormier expects a better version of Ngannou against Joshua.
“Can Francis do what he did before or exceed that?” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Because you’ve got to think that Tyson Fury that fought Francis Ngannou is going to have fought the worst version of Francis Ngannou there will ever be as a boxer. … He was an amateur when he fought Tyson Fury. Now he’s shared the ring with the lineal heavyweight champion of the world, knocked him down and fought a very competitive fight where some people thought he actually won. He will be better the second time around.”
According to FanDuel, Ngannou is a +500 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the former UFC heavyweight champion would win $500. Joshua is a -700 favorite, meaning a $700 wager would be needed to return a $100 profit.
Cormier is surprised by the lopsided odds.
“You’re telling me after watching that fight with Tyson Fury, and watching that Francis Ngannou, that he still doesn’t have a better chance of winning?” Cormier questioned. “Especially when he’s fighting a guy that denied Tyson Fury. We have seen Usyk beat Joshua, but I think the most – and I will relate this to this fight because of the dangers that Francis shows. Go back and watch the second Ruiz fight with Anthony Joshua.
“He’s a big, strong guy, but after Ruiz beat him the first time, he won, but he fought very, very safe. And Andy Ruiz looks like me, no disrespect. How’s he gonna respond to a guy that looks like Francis Ngannou in front of him? A big, strong scary dude that’s looking to knock his head off, who is going to be better than he was when he fought the lineal heavyweight champion in first professional fight.”
To find success, Cormier thinks Ngannou needs to be more aggressive against Joshua.
“For him to win, he’s got to do what he did last time, but he’s got to be a little more ferocious in his approach,” Cormier said. “Because I really do believe that if he approaches this fight with bad intent and he goes out there and he’s swinging and he’s a little bit reckless, I believe he will make Joshua fight in such a way that it will limit all of these skills that he’s built over a lifetime.”
Six months ago, Cormier would have said Ngannou stands no chance. But now, he wouldn’t be surprised if he shocked the masses again – this time with a win.
“I think Francis has a chance, and I think Francis can get it done,” Cormier said.
For more on the fight, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Joshua vs. Ngannou.