Anthony Joshua will face Francis Ngannou on Friday, March 8 in another mega crossover event.
Will Joshua’s (27-3, 24 KO) experience be too much for Ngannou, who lost his boxing debut last year but performed better than expected against Tyson Fury? Or could Ngannou officially cause a stir in the ring this time around against another superstar and top pro?
We have predictions for AJ vs The Predator and three fights on a really solid card!
Who will win Joshua vs Ngannou?
Scott Christ (3-1)
You could say AJ wants to look better than Fury so he could go for the huge one, but Fury set the bar so low with his awful performance against Ngannou that you don’t have to stop to credibly say, “Hey, I did a lot better than Tyson Fury in this fight against this very tough and perilous man.
The only chance for Ngannou is a knockout. That could happen. But I don’t think AJ will take the risk to get caught. He will be cautious at first, even look uncertain, find good opportunities, attack, attack, work a little and win the rounds. It will be a clear decision; if Francis goes for the stoppage, Joshua can stop him, but AJ will not chase him. Joshua UD-10
Will Esco (3-1)
If Joshua is grave about this fight (more grave than Tyson Fury, anyway), then I really don’t see how Ngannou could really compete with him. Joshua is much, much more experienced in the boxing ring, and even if he’s past his best, he should still have enough to beat Ngannou over the course of 10 rounds. I don’t think Joshua will put himself in harm’s way by trying to force a knockout here, because it gives Ngannou the best chance of a dramatic finish, so I’ll just take Joshua to win a clear decision on points. Joshua UD-10
John Hansen (4-0)
In general, being a professional boxer is a huge advantage in winning a professional boxing match. There’s only one of those in this fight, and I’ll take him to victory, thank you very much. Even a professional boxer who showed up looking like a blobfish, barely evolved to walk on land, and fought with the passion of a bag of jelly beans spilling out of slender air, managed to pull off a split decision against Ngannou.
But will Joshua make it to the finish line? Maybe! If Ngannou puts himself at risk and Joshua sees an opportunity, he might insist. But Joshua’s most vital strategy since the first fight with Ruiz has been to avoid testing the chin, and he should be able to beat Ngannou on his own terms, without much danger. Joshua UD-10
Patrick Stumberg (3-1)
Tyson Fury has a style that is very different from conventional boxing, relying on a combination of unpredictable movement and stifling clinch work. Whether through fatigue, needy preparation or simply a desire to keep up, he relied more on the latter than the former against Ngannou. That allowed “The Predator,” a physical specimen who has spent his entire combat sports career learning how to handle the clinch, ample opportunity to take Fury down and land a shot in the pocket.
It turned out to be a surprisingly favorable fight for Ngannou, and he still couldn’t pull off an upset. He’ll fare much worse against Joshua, a more conventional fighter who will demand much more of Ngannou’s technique.
Between him and Ngannou, Joshua has the better jab, better motor, better footwork and a willingness to play away from perilous fighters. I’m not saying Ngannou will be as easily outmaneuvered as the bloated Andy Ruiz Jr, but he’s never been swift and he wasn’t able to keep a moderate pace through 10 rounds against Fury. If Ngannou doesn’t get Joshua out of there in the fourth, he’ll be a mess.
I’m not saying Ngannou can’t do it, but I don’t buy Joshua’s supposed fragility. He got up from a deadly straight courtesy of Wladimir Klitschko and didn’t go down immediately after Ruiz’s first killing shot. It takes a lot to get Joshua out, and considering Ngannou only managed one lightweight knockdown on the ridiculously knockdown-prone Fury, I don’t see him beating AJ.
What Ngannou did against Fury was spectacular, but he will be 0-2 on Friday at Sweet Science. Joshua UD-10
Who will win Zhang vs Parker?
Photo: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing via Getty Images
Scott Christ (3-1)
Since the Joe Joyce defeat we have seen Parker and coach Andy Lee make some changes and, crucially, they have been very joyful to play it sheltered/intelligent and simply outperform the other player on many occasions.
I think this will be a huge “style makes the fight” kind of thing. Parker lost to Joyce, Zhang has beaten Joyce twice, and I think Parker will beat Zhang because he’ll win enough rounds and won’t risk getting mixed up with Zhang. Parker moves much better than Joyce, and Zhang doesn’t have the inevitable downward momentum that Joyce’s version used to have.
Zhang is really good, if Parker stays still and “Huge Bang” lands his shots he will win this fight. However, I think Lee will have a good plan to win seven rounds of this fight and Parker is good enough to get the job done. Parker SD-12
Will Esco (3-1)
I’m not ashamed to say that I really have no inkling of who will actually win this fight. Parker’s performances are generally up and down, and he’s a bit unpredictable in that regard, and while Zhang looks as good as he has recently, he’s also a 40-year-old fighter who could look his age in almost any fight. I suspect this could prove to be a cautious affair, especially in the first half of the fight, so I’ll just go with the whim that says Zhang will make the decision after the final bell. Zhang UD-12
John Hansen (4-0)
“…but can he do it against a guy who’s actually going to hit him?”
I’m not sure he can. Zhang is getting older without getting older, Parker has lost to a weaker opponent than Zhang has before, and I don’t know if the version of Wilder that Parker just beat is really a significant victory. I just have more faith in Zhang than in Parker. Zhang TKO-10
Patrick Stumberg (3-1)
As a fan, I’m with Zhang. It’s been amazing to see him come back sturdy at an age where most fighters, or at least most lightweight heavyweights, have long since collapsed. As an analyst, I don’t like his chances in this fight.
The problem with Filip Hrgovic and Joe Joyce is that neither had the means to test Zhang’s footwork. Hrgovic is a robot, and Joyce’s movements can only be observed in hours of time-lapse footage. Zhang’s hands may be deceptively swift for his size, but his feet absolutely aren’t, and Parker has the mobility to take advantage of that. It’s also worth noting Parker’s car; Zhang is well-conditioned for a 40-year-old who weighs 280 pounds, but he can’t sustain a high pace for an extended period. By contrast, cardio has never been one of Parker’s weaknesses.
If Zhang wins this fight, he’ll stop Parker in the six, which is not impossible. Parker has very constrained experience against southpaws, and Zhang is much better at landing power shots than Wilder ever was. However, if Parker comes out as focused and composed as he did against Wilder, I don’t think he’ll catch a cool. He beats “Huge Bang” in a row with his second upset. Parker UD-12
After Chris Eubank Jr expressed potential interest in fighting airy heavyweight Ben Whitaker, Whitaker spoke to Heavenly sports about the idea and says that of course he would be ready for it if it came into force.
“If there’s money there, sign me up. I’m bigger, younger, fresher. I wouldn’t say no,” he said Heavenly sports.
“I’m bigger,” he said. “There’s a reason they organize weight classes and I think he’s coming to the end of his career. I’m starting my career, so it’s probably the right time for me to grab him.
Whitaker has gained some following for his flashy and unconventional style, but has confined professional experience, having only had eight professional fights against low-level opponents. Still, he believes his skills exceed Eubank Jr.’s experience.
Granted, Whitaker knows that if he were ever to fight Eubank Jr., it would have to be at the agreed-upon catchweight, but if it’s a fight that makes financial sense, you can bet that all parties involved will find a way to come to terms.
Whitaker is currently scheduled to face Liam Cameron on October 12, which will be a gradual step up from his previous opponent, while Eubank Jr will appear on the same card when he faces Kamil Szeremeta in Riyad.
Following a recent interview with Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn in which he discusses his attempts to make Jaron Ennis a unification match against Brian Norman, Norman’s father releases a video message making it clear that they are not shying away from the fight. As Norman’s father says, they are actually interested in making this fight happen, and he believes there was a miscommunication.
“This is the latest on the Boots fighting situation on our side. I try to be as see-through as possible with Boots, Bozy and his team. I contacted him after Eddie Hearn did an interview.
“We immediately contacted Matchroom’s lawyers, the ones who sent the offer, and asked what does it mean that we rejected two offers? The Matchroom lawyer replies, “Oh, we didn’t realize you sent a counteroffer, which I find demanding to believe because how can you say we rejected anything, which means you never saw the response to your offer.
“The first offer was absurd, but the second one was close and we can work on it a bit. Anyway, we asked, “What’s your final offer?” Since then there has been no response, nothing.
“It’s been seven days since the first contract was sent, so I know they work on Saturdays, I know they work on Saturdays… With all due respect to Team Ennis, everyone with him, we have nothing but love for them, I hope people don’t believe that all this nonsense was rah-rah towards them, nothing like that… We want smoke in the ring, it has nothing to do with anything personal.
“Bozy didn’t turn down this fight, let me make that clear. Boots didn’t turn down the fight. I don’t think anyone is lying. I believe this is simply misinformation circulating. But at this point, it looks like it’s bullshit – at this point, because we’ve clearly turned around and said, “What’s your final offer?” and 24 hours passed, no one said a word.”
Following the recent official news of Shakur Stevenson signing with Matchroom, his promoter Eddie Hearn discusses his plans for Stevenson while touching on his ideas regarding Jaron Ennis and others. You can check out some excerpts from Hearn below, and the full video interview is at the top.
After signing Shakur Stevenson
“I really feel like I’ve been promoting Shakur Stevenson for years because I’ve been talking about him for years… I know my boxing and I know how good this kid is. He may be unbeatable, I know he’s a star who fights non-stop, there’s something about Shakur Stevenson’s mentality that makes me confident he’ll beat everyone.
“I think he has been hugely underrated. I think he should be not only an American superstar, but also a world star. I think he’s edgy, I think he’s got balls, I think he’s incredibly talented and I’ll do everything in my power to give him the platform and promotional push his skills deserve.
“For Shakur, the plan is for Joe Cordina to have two fights, and if he wins, a fight with Zepeda. And during this period we will show him our value. We will work closely together, Gervonta Davis, everyone. I hope these two fights will decide Shakur Stevenson’s career at Matchroom.”
About Stevenson’s fight with Cordina, which was not well received by fans
“I think it’s a really, really good fight… Stylistically, it’s a great fight for Joe Cordina and it’s actually a great fight for boxing. Two truly talented fighters. I think it will be a great fight and Shakur is a huge favorite for this fight, but Joe coming off the loss to Cacace and having the extra weight at lightweight, this is the right fight.
“It’s not witty, the last guy Shakur Stevenson boxed, Joe beat him easily, and probably the guys before that. So Joe is a earnest fighter…
“For me, we go with Joe Cordina, William Zepeda and Gervonta Davis. For me, once we do our job in these six months, Gervonta Davis vs. Shakur Stevenson will be the biggest fight in boxing. But we make our own moves. We’re not chasing Tank, we’re chasing greatness, but that comes with Tank because he’s an unbelievable fighter.”
About his plans for Jaron “Boots” Ennis
“That’s why we made offers to Brian Norman, the WBO champion; Barrios, WBC champion; and Stanionis, the WBA champion. They were all rejected. The one I think has legs – and I’ve seen him and his father in the last 24 hours – is Brian Norman, the WBO champion. We have already made two offers to Top Rank for Brian Norman, both of which were rejected pleasantly – I mean, we get on very well with Top Rank.
“Yesterday he posted a post in which he wrote: ‘we made a counter-offer.’ We did not receive any counter-offer. So Brian, if you want to make a counteroffer, hurry up and do it. But I want to fight this fight and if Brian Norman has the balls and if Brian Norman is real, Brian, if you’re real, let’s go. Let’s speed it up, let’s do this fight, because these are the fights we should be fighting.
“Brian Norman says Boots isn’t the boogeyman, he’s overrated. If you believe that, let’s end this fight. It’s a great fight between two brilliant American fighters.”
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