FRANCIS NGANNOU has revealed a surprising training update ahead of his clash with Anthony Joshua.
The former UFC heavyweight champion is just over two weeks away from his second consecutive lucrative showdown in Saudi Arabia against AJ.
Ngannou, 37, stunned the world in his professional boxing debut last October against Tyson Fury, cutting and dropping him in a decision loss.
Although former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson assisted Ngannou in his preparation for his boxing debut, Tyson has been absent from Ngannou’s latest training camp.
Ngannou told The Mirror: “To be honest, for this fight, since my training was here in Riyadh, we didn’t get Mike Tyson here. He came in like three times for Fury, he was more advising. He would come and watch our training, he would be there to give advice.”
Despite falling short against WBC king Fury, Ngannou is confident of defeating Joshua with a knockout.
He told MMA Fighting: “If AJ takes the punch that Fury took, I don’t guarantee that he’s standing up. I’ve heard that he doesn’t have a chin. I’m going to find out.”
During an appearance on the High Performance Podcast, he added: “Never say never. Nothing is impossible. We don’t know the strength of Anthony Joshua. Even though I don’t believe he has that strength, we’re going to find out. I’m going to be the one taking his soul.”
Joshua, 34, insists he’ll be fully prepared for the crossover clash, saying: “If Tyson underestimated Ngannou, I sure won’t. Francis has lost the element of surprise with me. We knew Francis had a reputation as the biggest puncher in the world, but the surprise was how well he boxed. He was exceptional on the inside and made life very complicated for Tyson. So much so that I do belong to the opinion that he beat Fury.”