Deontay Wilder delivers a dismissive judgment on Francis Ngannou's punching power - "He on his high horse"
Deontay Wilder recently weighed in on Francis Ngannou being known as the hardest-hitting puncher in combat sports. While the former WBC heavyweight champion admitted that Ngannou's power was a notch above the rest, he dismissed claims about the Cameroonian having more power than him.
The former UFC heavyweight champion is undoubtedly among the most well-known martial artists in the world and has earned a reputation for being a nightmare for his opponents in the cage. With 12 of his 17 career wins coming via knockout, it's no surprise that Ngannou is considered the hardest-hitting fighter.
While his resume is undeniably a testament to his herculean strength, Francis Ngannou also set a unique record on a PowerKube machine in 2018, which measures the power behind a punch by analyzing its force, speed, and accuracy.
Watch the full video below:
'The Predator' registered an overhand right strike power of 129,161 units and a speed power of 51,064 foot-pounds per second, which is roughly equal to a family wagon's horsepower.
While these records were enough to convince the combat sports community of Ngannou's incredible power, Deontay Wilder doesn't buy it. In a recent episode of The Last Stand podcast, Wilder said:
"He on his high horse. He's feeling good, and I'm proud of Francis, that's my African brother... I'm happy for him, but the thing is, women lie, men lie, but numbers don’t lie... When it comes to the hardest puncher in all of combat sports, you're hearing the voice, and you're looking at the man that holds that title, and that's facts."
Catch Deontay Wilder's comments below (52:56):
Eddie Hearn on a potential Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua fight
Eddie Hearn recently weighed in on Francis Ngannou potentially facing Anthony Joshua in the boxing ring. The Matchroom Boxing frontman revealed that while his team sent Ngannou an offer for the Joshua fight, there was no response from the Cameroonian.
After leaving the UFC in January, Ngannou made it clear that he wanted to step into the squared circle opposite a high-profile boxer for his next outing. After months of speculations, he fought Tyson Fury in October in Riyadh. While most expected the WBC heavyweight champion to brush past Ngannou, 'The Predator' pushed Fury to his limits and impressed everyone with his skills.
While Francis Ngannou ultimately lost the contest via split decision, his spectacular performance was good enough for Eddie Hearn to try booking him against Anthony Joshua. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Hearn said:
"I reached out to Francis Ngannou’s team, and I said, ‘Just to let you know, we’re up for discussing the Francis Ngannou-'AJ' fight. I never heard back from them. So I think probably, knowing the business, I would say that Fury-Ngannou [rematch] is almost probably agreed to post Fury-[Oleksandr] Usyk already."