"There's a difference between wanting to do and being able to" - When Francis Ngannou rated Tyson Fury as a better fighter than Anthony Joshua
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou exited the promotion last year and made his professional boxing debut against lineal heavyweight champ Tyson Fury.
It was recently confirmed that Ngannou will take on former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in his second boxing bout later this year in Saudi Arabia. The news was confirmed by Saudi Arabia's minister of entertainment, Turki Alalshikh.
Ngannou had previously stated his willingness to take on Joshua in either boxing or mixed martial arts. In a conversation with Shannon Sharpe, Ngannou claimed that Fury was a better boxer than Joshua and cited his own impressive performance against the former.
Their conversation went:
“[Would you be willing to fight Anthony Joshua in the boxing ring?] Of course. I am willing to fight. [He said he will knock you out, I mean that’s what he said]. But even Tyson Fury said the same thing and Tyson Fury is better than Anthony Joshua, so what do I care about what people say? I mean, I've been into this game so long, have seen so much, have heard so much what people intend to do. There is a difference between wanting to do and being able to or to do. [So would you be willing to fight him in like a mixed–] Anything that he wants. Ring or octagon, I’ll fight.”
Check out his comments below:
Francis Ngannou talks about the nastier side of MMA, says 'fighters keep getting screwed'
Francis Ngannou left the UFC in January last year over multiple disagreements with the promotion. He advocated for better fighter pay and also greater autonomy over career choices.
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Ngannou reflected on his past year and explained how he learnt about the darker side of the industry.
He said:
"We have a lot of different people, some two faces, it's part of the business, right? And that's something that I learned this year, how this business can be nasty. You will have people that pretend to be something which they are not. You will have a lot of things. But it's part of the learning process because becoming a fighter, to step into that position, is smoething... most fighters never get educated to, and that's why, for the most part, fighters keep getting screwed."
Check out Francis Ngannou's comments in the below video on YouTube (2:20):