Anthony Joshua won’t be able to climb off the canvas against Francis Ngannou like Tyson Fury did, with Dan Hardy warning the former world champion could ‘psychologically unravel’ under pressure on fight night.
In just the second fight of his professional career, the former UFC champion takes on Joshua in Saudi Arabia having dragged Fury into deep waters on his boxing debut six months ago.
A monstrous left hook put ‘The Gypsy King’ down in the third round, with Fury climbing back up to his feet to continue. Despite heavy pressure from the Cameroonian, a battered and bruised Fury sealed a narrow split decision win.
While ‘The Gypsy King’ was able to regroup after being dropped, former UFC fighter and the PFL’s head of fighter operations Hardy is not convinced Joshua can do the same.
The Briton has been only been dropped by two of his opponents to date – once in his sublime victory over Wladimir Klitschko with Andy Ruiz Jr sending him down four times on a crazy night in New York five years ago.
While Joshua has shown his resolve since then, Hardy doubts he has the ‘mental fortitude’ required to deal with Ngannou’s destructive power and pressure.
‘We know how dangerous Ngannou is with his hands and know how strong he is physically. That is going to be unnerving for Anthony Joshua early on in this fight,’ Hardy told Metro.co.uk.
‘If AJ tries to tangle and lock up with him, Ngannou is going to feel bigger and stronger than anyone else he has ever done that with. If he gets hit, he is going to realise even with his guard up, he could take concussive punches that could put him on the canvas.
‘I stand by this; I don’t think AJ gets back up off the canvas with the same kind of confidence we saw from Fury. I don’t know if AJ has the same mental fortitude to deal with this same kind of pressure.
‘AJ is still in the process of rebuilding his own career. It is a massive, massive risk for him and I think that will dawn on him on fight day.’
Joshua is on a run of three straight victories, putting back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk behind him with a win on Friday to leave him within touching distance of another world title shot.
The former Olympian was largely untroubled in each of those fights last year but Hardy warns Ngannou will be aiming to seek and destroy from the opening bell.
Should the former UFC star have success in those early stages, Hardy warns Joshua will be ‘eaten alive’.
‘If I’m in AJs camp, I’m preparing him for an early storm,’ he said.
‘But if he is not prepared to take those big punches, the whole thing psychologically could unravel very quickly. He is the only one who has got the pressure of the occasion on his shoulders. Coaches and promoters share it, but AJ is the one who falls off the precipice if he loses to Ngannou.
‘He is the only one who can really be honest with himself and feel that pressure. I would be preparing for him to be able to regroup because he doesn’t want to be hitting the canvas and not getting up with confidence. Because in that situation, Ngannou eats him alive.’
Victory for Ngannou will present him with the chance to become a world champion in MMA and boxing with Saudi eager for Friday’s winner to meet Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk after their undisputed title fight in May.
But there is still unfinished business in the world of mixed martial arts. Ngannou left UFC while still in possession of the heavyweight title in January last year, joining the Professional Fighters League [PFL] six months later.
Once his business with Joshua is done, he is expected to make his debut for the promotion against Renan Ferreira, who walked through Ryan Bader in the main event of PFL vs Bellator in Saudi Arabia last month.
Ngannou watched on from ringside that night but left the venue without joining Ferreria in the cage for a face-off as expected. Ngannou has not competed in MMA since January 2022 and it is unclear when that Ferreira fight will take place.
Jon Jones, who holds the UFC heavyweight title previously held by Ngannou, was also present that night. While their fight could not be made in the UFC, Hardy believes it is one both men are still desperate to make.
‘The Ferreira fight is special. He is now the heavyweight king so it’s clear that is next for him,’ Hardy said.
‘Of course, the biggest fight in all of heavyweight MMA would be Ngannou vs Jones. But the fact Jones isn’t healthy to fight right now sidelines that conversation for now.
‘The way Ferreira beat Bader, in fans’ minds, that has moved him right to the top of the bracket. He gained a lot of stock. But Jones has got the name and that is the fight to make. If it was up to those two, I think it would be booked and it would be happening.’
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