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UFC legend makes extremely bold Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou prediction

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UFC legend Rashad Evans has made an extremely bold prediction about Francis Ngannou ahead of his monstrous fight against Anthony Joshua.

Ngannou took Tyson Fury the distance in his boxing debut last year after leaving the UFC as the promotion’s heavyweight champion.

Boxing: Anthony Joshua Rises In Latest Heavyweight Rankings

He dropped the WBC title holder en route to losing a controversial decision on the judges’ scorecards.

Ngannou will get another crack at one of the other big players in the heavyweight division as he faces Joshua on March 8.

Joshua, who used to hold the world heavyweight titles before surrendering them to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021, is on a three-fight winning streak, having suffered back-to-back defeats to the undefeated Ukrainian star.

‘AJ’ returned to the win column after beating Jermaine Franklin before stopping Robert Helenius.

UFC 270: Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane weigh-in results | Sporting News

And he destroyed Otto Wallin on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in his last outing in a masterful performance as he seemed to roll back the years.

The Brit welcomes the ex-MMA star back to the ring, with former UFC light-heavyweight champion Evans backing Ngannou to become the world heavyweight champion in boxing.

“I mean, it’s hard for me to put anything past Francis, man. That performance and now he’s gonna be fighting Anthony Joshua,” he told Give Me Sport.

“I mean, I think he’s gonna do it. I made a prediction at the end of [2023] and I said: ‘I think that Francis Ngannou is gonna be a heavyweight boxing champ by the end of the year’.”
Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou go head-to-head. Image: Getty
Even though the former UFC king didn’t beat Fury, he shocked the boxing world with his showing against arguably the best fighter in the division and garnered huge praise.

Just months after troubling the self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’, he will look to get off the mark in the boxing ranks when he takes on Joshua next month.

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua Insists He’s ‘Never Left’ Top of Boxing Scene

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Anthony Joshua insists he’s still at the top of the boxing scene despite a rocky few years for the former world heavyweight champion.
Anthony Joshua insists he has “never left” the top of heavyweight boxing as he prepares for his March clash against Francis Ngannou.

Anthony Joshua

Joshua will fight former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou on March 8 in Saudi Arabia.
Two-time world champion Joshua lost his WBO, IBF, and WBA belts to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 before losing a rematch to the Ukrainian the following year.
He has since beaten Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and, in his most recent bout on December 23, Otto Wallin, when the Swedish fighter was pulled out by his corner after five rounds

In an interview with Sky News’ Jacquie Beltrao, Joshua said of his place in the top level of boxing: “I’ve never left!
“I’ll always be [there]. From the minute I’ve laced up these gloves from the amateurs until now, I’ve managed to keep my name at the top of the amateur scene and the professional scene.“It’s just the truth, it’s just how it is, and I think it’ll be that way until I don’t want to fight anymore.”

Asked by Sky News if belts still mattered in boxing or it was now about making matches, Joshua said: “I think that there is that element as well because for the fans at home they just want to see matches. At the same time, it’s like ‘I don’t care, just get the fight done’.

Staggering sum Anthony Joshua earned per DAY last year revealed as boxing champ's fortune hits £180 million | The Sun

“You will never know what it’s like or what it feels like to be a champion until you become one and, for me, belts will always matter because it’s something that you set your goals out to achieve as a little kid. If you are a tennis fan you win your trophies, footballer you win a trophy, boxing you win a title.”

Ngannou produced one of boxing’s shock moments of 2023 when, in his first professional bout, the 37-year-old floored Fury in a 10-round non-title bout, although the WBC heavyweight champion won the fight on a controversial split decision.

On his next fight against Joshua, Ngannou said of his target: “Maybe make him look ordinary.

Anthony Joshua seals unanimous points win against American opponent Jermaine Franklin in London - Eurosport

“When extraordinary people meet, they might just look ordinary.

“Of course, I think I can beat him. I called for the fight and I’m here really to beat him and that’s why I came over here. I’ve been calling for those fights for four years. I’m not here to show up, I’m here to take over.”

Joshua, 34, countered: “It’s always easier said than done.

“I look through a lot of my fights and what people have said. Let’s just look at my most recent one with my last opponent [Wallin]. I’m this, I’m that, and the other – I broke his eye socket and broke his nose and sent him packing after five rounds.

“You can say what you want to say but when leather starts landing, I think people do think different about their approach.”

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BOXING

Mike Tyson reveals the unusual reason why he could never have been a UFC fighter

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Mike Tyson hilariously revealed the exact reason why he would never have been able to become a UFC fighter.

Tyson enjoyed a legendary boxing career as he remains the youngest world heavyweight champion in history.

He won the WBC title aged just 20, beating Trevor Berbick in the second round to write his name in the boxing record books.

But how would his boxing skills translate to MMA and specifically in the UFC? Well, the former ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ himself doesn’t like his chances inside the famed Octagon.

And he revealed why.

Tyson said that he could never become a UFC fighter because he has the ‘worst feet in the world’.

In an interview with GQ Sports, he was asked how he would have fared as an MMA fighter to which he replied: “I don’t know what I would do in the UFC, because I watched the UFC a couple of times, and I watched these guys step on people’s feet.”

The 57-year-old added: “And I have the worst feet in the world, and if somebody stepped on my feet, I would totally tap out and just give up.

“It would be a no-brainer.”

Tyson was a playable character on the video games UFC 2, UFC 3 and UFC 5 as he’s often sat cageside with Dana White, who once joined the ex-boxer’s podcast to discuss UFC GOATs.

Asked to name the greatest fighters in UFC history, White replied: “So hard to do because there have been so many great fighters… but you gotta start with Jon Jones.

Mike Tyson and Dana White watch a Ronda Rousey training session. Image: Getty
Mike Tyson and Dana White watch a Ronda Rousey training session

“You got to have Amanda Nunes,” he said, calling her the ‘greatest female fighter of all time’.

The UFC CEO continued: “How do you not have Usman?

“If you look at the different generations of people who helped take the sport to another level,” said White. “It’s hard to just pick five all-time great fighters. Matt Hughes would have to make the list… and then you look at all the different Brazilians that came up… the Pride era. It’s hard to pick just five.”

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BOXING

UFC legend Chuck Liddell explains how a street fight with Mike Tyson would play out

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UFC legend Chuck Liddell revealed exactly how a street fight with Mike Tyson would end up as he made a huge claim about the boxing icon.

Liddell dominated inside the famed Octagon as he reigned over the UFC light-heavyweight division, beating the likes of Randy Couture and arch-rival Tito Ortiz during his prime.

Tyson, on the other hand, is regarded as one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time following his brutal spell as world heavyweight champion.

What would happen if Liddell and Tyson were to have a brawl in the streets?

Well, ‘The Iceman’ fancies his chances of beating ‘Iron’ Mike in a street fight.

He reckons he’d beat Tyson in a street fight, stating the legendary boxer would only have a puncher’s chance.

“In a street fight, I’d win,” Liddell told Ed Mylett on his podcast. “I mean, he’s got a puncher’s chance. He’s got a chance to catch me coming in. But other than that, it’s over.”

Chuck Liddell during his UFC fight against Rashad Evans. Image: Getty

Liddell was UFC’s original superstar as he carried the promotion during the infancy stages of Dana White’s tenure as president.

He had his last UFC fight in June 2010 then came out of retirement to fight Ortiz under the Golden Boy Promotions banner.

As for Tyson, he retired after losing to Irish fighter Kevin McBride in June 2005. But, like Liddell, he came out of retirement to face fellow boxing great Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition bout.

And he gave a hilarious response when asked if he could have become a UFC fighter.

“I don’t know what I would do in the UFC, because I watched the UFC a couple of times, and I watched these guys step on people’s feet,” he told GQ Sports.

“And I have the worst feet in the world, and if somebody stepped on my feet, I would totally tap out and just give up.

“It would be a no-brainer.”

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