Francis Ngannou is determined to face Anthony Joshua, but regardless of their future careers, the former UFC heavyweight champion believes that Tyson Fury owes him a rematch.
In October, Ngannou suffered a narrow split decision loss to Fury in his professional boxing debut. However, he managed to knock down the ‘Gypsy King’ with a powerful left hook in the third round of their fight in Saudi Arabia. This surprising performance earned Ngannou another significant payday and a fight against Anthony Joshua, also in Saudi Arabia, in a couple of months.
Despite facing Oleksandr Usyk in a title unification fight in February, Fury remains a target for Ngannou, regardless of the outcome of his battle against Usyk.
“I’m not interested in the winner of Tyson Fury and Usyk,” Ngannou told TMZ regarding his plans after facing Joshua. “I’m after Tyson. Tyson owes me a fight. I don’t care about the winner of Usyk and Tyson. I want Tyson, whether he wins or loses.”
How Team Fury will respond to this challenge remains to be seen, especially considering the difficulties they faced in their first fight. However, Ngannou believes that Fury now has a better understanding of his boxing style after spending 30 minutes in the ring with him.
“He’s already seen me box, so he has an idea of what to expect,” Ngannou explained. “Unlike Tyson Fury, who had no clue what to expect. Joshua kind of knows what to expect. This time, I need to step up even more to get the job done.”
Approaching the Joshua fight with a professional record of 0-1, Ngannou acknowledges that the British boxer is the clear favorite to win.
“I’m going up against a former champion, a guy who has been in the game for a long time, winning and all that,” Ngannou said about his upcoming opponent. “He has a record of 30-something wins, and I’m 0-1. Come on, man. How can they make me the favorite?”
Ngannou and Joshua are scheduled to fight on Friday, March 8, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
