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
Tonight in Rzeszów, Lawrence Okolie will fight Łukasz Różański for the WBC bridge weight title. And as he heads to his opponent’s yard, he talks Heavenly sports that he fully intends to isolate himself from the noise of the crowd and go about his business as best he can.
“I expect it to be very hostile, but I’ll just write it off,” Okolie said. “Anyway, this particular fight will fuel me, especially since I feel like I have to and want to fight.”
Rozanski, who has won 14 of his 15 fights by knockout, is expected to enter this fight with fire (especially in front of his hometown fans), but Okolie says he expected nothing less.
“I know what he’s coming with, we’ve seen it 15 times, he does everything, I’ll show him he’s there with another animal. I can’t wait to boo and get in there and do it furiously.”
Okolie most recently suffered a majority decision loss to Chris Billam-Smith last year and strongly believes that Rozanski hasn’t faced anyone at his level. In fact, Okolie goes on to say that he believes that previously reaching the limit at cruiserweight has robbed him of his power and that’s why he expects to show a lot more of it in this brierweight fight.
We will soon find out whether Okolie will be able to fulfill his words.
Following the news of Ryan Garcia’s B sample testing positive for the banned substance Ostarine, both Devin and Bill Haney took to social media to publicly respond. First, Devin ridiculed Garcia for allegedly testing a hair sample that showed no traces of banned substances.
“Ryan and his team knew the test would come back positive, so they did the BS ‘hair test’ themselves and who really knows if they succeeded,” Haney wrote in X.
Ryan and his team knew the test would come back positive, so they did the bs “hair test” themselves and who really knows if they did it.
Bill Haney also weighed in, sending an ominous message to Garcia.
“Cheaters don’t thrive,” Bill began. “What you do in the shadowy comes to delicate and there is nothing witty about Garcia’s team or what Ryan Garcia did. Expect something sedate. This has consequences.
“Repercussions and consequences. You’re not violating any Haney and you’re not expecting – yes, we signed up for a fair fight and we didn’t get it. He’s a fraud… so while he talks about being on the run from an elite group and doing everything he can to protect children, in the meantime he’s doing drugs and openly while his fans say it’s frosty. This is not frosty.
“We will do everything in our power to end this very, very bad thing that Team Garcia has done.”
Ryan Garcia’s claims of innocence seem hollower than ever, and so does Dan Rafael reports that his B sample from last month’s victory over Devin Haney also tested positive for the banned SARM ostarine.
Garcia (25-1, 20 KO) responded grace AND eloquence we came to expect.
According to Rafael, the Recent York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) has not yet scheduled a hearing to determine the penalty. Despite Haney’s (31-1, 15 KO) request for a disqualification, we can expect the victory to be declared a no contest and Garcia to face a lengthy suspension unless he can somehow prove he accidentally ingested a contaminated supplement.
Everything that can be said about this failure has been said. Garcia’s erratic actions and complete refusal to take responsibility for their consequences make it extremely complex to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Editor’s Note: Ryan Garcia’s legal team released the following statement:
“Ryan Garcia is a believer in neat and fair competition and has never intentionally used any banned substances. Shortly after receiving notification of the positive test result, Ryan voluntarily had his hair collected and sent to a doctor. Pascal Kintz, a leading expert in toxicology and hair sample analysis. This is consistent with contamination and clearly proves that Ryan has not been taking Ostarine for a period of time – the only way he could have gained any advantage in the ring.
“Ryan has voluntarily submitted to tests throughout his career, with consistently negative results. He tested negative multiple times before the Haney fight. All these factors, combined with its very low levels in samples taken on April 19 and 20 (in the billionth of a gram), indicate that Ryan was a victim of supplement contamination and never obtained any performance-enhancing benefits from the microscopic amounts. in his system. We are confident that one of the natural supplements Ryan used prior to the fight will be found to be contaminated, so we are in the process of testing the supplements to determine the exact source.”
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
Boxing3 months ago
Interviews5 months ago
MMA5 months ago
MMA5 months ago
UK Boxing5 months ago
MMA5 months ago
Video5 months ago
MMA5 months ago