“We knew AJ's experience and power were limited.'' Dillian Whyte wasn't surprised that Anthony Joshua knocked out the MMA star in Saudi Arabia in the second round.British contender takes on Christian Hammer in Ireland on Sunday
7:07, UK, Wednesday 13 March 2024
Dillian Whyte said he fully expected Francis Ngannou's “false confidence” to be punished by Anthony Joshua, with the MMA star brutally beaten.
Joshua brutally dominated Ngannou on Friday night, defeating the former UFC heavyweight champion twice before a huge right hand ended the bout in the second round in Saudi Arabia.
But White was not surprised by the result, believing Ngannou failed to correct his technical flaws after defeating Tyson Fury in a controversial split decision last October.
White told Sky Sports: “Francis doesn't have enough experience to beat the top guys. He did well against Fury so he was a bit satisfied, but Fury didn't take him seriously.” Ta.
“Fury gave Fury some problems thinking he was going to outbox him and that was his downfall.
“I think that fight gave him a false sense of confidence and he stayed in the pocket even when he was getting hit with big punches, he didn't move his head, he didn't try to hold or anything.
“He went back, got up in the same spot, didn't move his head, went back, got up in the same spot, basically waiting for the third right hand.”
“So, I knew this was going to happen, so I just picked AJ to win.
“AJ is a puncher, and he doesn't just stand in front of a guy like AJ with his hands basically down and change his stance in the middle of a fight against a right-handed puncher. Why did he become a southpaw? Huh? That didn't do any good.'' Sense.
“I knew AJ had too much experience and strength. To be honest, I thought Francis would be a little better, but Francis…he does boxing, but he's not allowed to train in boxing. It doesn't cover the basics because it doesn't.
“A guy like AJ, an experienced gold medalist, covers the basics every day in all these world title fights, and Francis has come out of that.”
Whyte was originally linked to the Ngannou fight before Fury and Joshua, and believes he would have had a similar outcome.
“I tried to fight Ngannou four years ago,” he said. “I definitely would have knocked him out. I said I would fight him in boxing and mixed martial arts.
“I always believed I could knock him out because of his lack of boxing ability.
“I think he's a good fighter, but I don't think he's a good boxer.
“I think I was able to find the hole and hit some body shots and catch him with my right hand.”
WBC champion Fury watched from ringside for a potential future bout with Joshua, following his next undisputed world title fight with Oleksandr Usyk on May 18.
Tyson Fury seems impressed by Anthony Joshua's KO of Francis Ngannou
“I think Tyson is always worried about punchers and people who can knock him out, but the truth is, Tyson is not as raw as Ngannou,” White said.
“As a professional, world-class boxer, it's hard in some ways to get anything out of the fight because AJ knocked out a huge puncher and a big guy, but from a boxing perspective and strategically, there's nothing there. There is no such thing.
“You're talking about a world champion fighting a 'Southern Region' level opponent. What if it's a 'Southern Region' level? Because some of the 'Southern Region' stalwarts will beat him. .”
Gary Logan on Toe2Toe says Anthony Joshua's performance against Francis Ngannou shows he's still an elite fighter
Whyte returns to the ring against Christian Hammer on St. Patrick's Day Sunday in Castlebar in the west of Ireland.
The former WBC interim champion was cleared to continue after an investigation confirmed he had tested positive for drugs due to tainted supplements before his rematch with Joshua was canceled in August last year.
“I'm very excited. I'm very happy to be back and I'm going to explore future opportunities,” White said. sky sports.
“I was going to go back to Ireland for a while and now that I have a family from here they can come and fight.
“Christian Hammer, he's a guy I know, he's a tough guy, he's got a lot of fights under his belt. It's a very good fight considering he's been away for 16 months. He's coming back. It's a very good match.”
“I still want a world title and I still want to fight in all the big matches. There's a lot of big matches happening so I want to get my name back in the mix and make sure I still win them.” I want to prove that I can do it.”
