Anthony Joshua has finally reacted to one of the highest profile heavyweight bouts of the year in Tyson Fury versus Francis Ngannou.
‘The Gypsy King’ welcomed Ngannou, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, to the boxing ring for his first professional fight. Flipping the script that he would struggle, the underdog dropped Fury in the third and made it the ten-round distance, only losing out on a split-decision.
The scores were 95-94 and 96-93 for Fury, while the final judge had it 95-94 for Ngannou.
Joshua – who was in brief talks to face Ngannou and has had a long but as yet unfought rivalry with Fury – told TNT Sports he feels the MMA man won.
“I think Ngannou won, but the refs are there for a reason. They score it how they score it. I’m just an observer. Fury won, but I think from a fan’s point of view that Ngannou won.”
Joshua then relished in making Fury eat his words. The WBC Champion has often branded him a ‘bodybuilder who can’t fight’, and made fun of Ngannou’s impressive figure in the same vein.
“Bodybuilders up, dossers down. He just looked like a fat slob that just can’t fight. And he says that bodybuilders can’t fight, but he got smacked up by one.”
“I’ve always wanted to get in the ring with him. He does a lot of talking, calls me a bodybuilder and stuff, but one of my African pals who’s a bodybuilder stepped in and smacked him up for me.”
‘AJ’ then sympathised with his countryman, who will go into an undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk on February 17.
“It’s tough at the top. It is so tough at the top. Getting there’s one thing but staying there is another. You’re starting to see. That wasn’t even a world title fight. I think he’s had four world title fights. I had 12. It’s tough man, it’s not easy. Good luck to him anyway, but he’s gotta stop running his mouth cause it does come back and bite you.”
Anthony Joshua returns to the ring this month against Otto Wallin, a win there and some other puzzle pieces falling into place setting up a clash with Deontay Wilder and, in the future, Fury.
