Anthony Joshua faces a major threat to his boxing career at the top level when he faces Francis Ngannou on Friday night – according to former world champion Carl Froch.
The former super-middleweight king and now Hall of Famer Froch believes that AJ (27-3) will be finished at the top level if he cannot overcome a man fighting only his second professional boxing bout.
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Ngannou of course is getting this opportunity to lock horns with Joshua thanks to an astonishing performance on debut against lineal heavyweight king Tyson Fury last October.
The former UFC superstar was brilliant that night, giving ‘The Gypsy King’ all he could handle before dropping a hotly-disputed split decision.
Froch on Joshua blockbuster
He is only around the 3/1 odds in the betting for Friday night, but Froch still believes this one really should be routine for the British megastar.
Speaking on his ‘Froch On Fighting’ YouTube channel, ‘The Cobra’ claimed: “It shouldn’t be a tough one, I think the general consensus is that Anthony Joshua is the overwhelming favourite, and he should be, let’s be honest – speed, boxing ability, amateur pedigree.
“He’s a former two-time world unified heavyweight champion, so really he shouldn’t be in the ring in a competitive capacity with somebody who’s making his second fight as a professional. But, we’re dealing with Francis Ngannou – and we saw what he did against Tyson Fury. He gave him a tough fight.”
A no-win situation for AJ
This is a night laced with jeopardy for Joshua according to Froch. Win and he gets no credit for beating a man he really should beat. Lose, and the future is very very bleak.
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“Now listen, if AJ doesn’t beat Ngannou I think it’s game over on his career. He’s gotta beat this guy, and when he beats him by the way, because I think he’s probably gonna win, I don’t think he’s gonna get great credit for it. He’s beaten a guy who’s already lost to Fury, he’s beating a guy making only his second professional boxing match. So he’s not gonna get massive respect for that.”
