Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou: Former UFC fighter reflects on 'big shock' ahead of second fight

Former UFC fighter Dan Hardy thinks that Francis Ngannou is a ‘big, strong, powerful athlete’ ahead of his fight with Anthony Joshua.

Joshua and Ngannou fight live on DAZN PPV on March 8 in Saudi Arabia as they contest the biggest heavyweight fight of the year so far.

Ngannou made himself known to the wider boxing world when he knocked Tyson Fury to the canvas last October, and Hardy reflected on the night’s events.

"It was a big shock. It was a real big shock," Hardy told Sky Sports. "I thought he would have his moments in the fight, given the fact that he's such a big, strong powerful athlete and also the surprise factor."

He continued: "The thing that really surprised me was he wasn't biting on anything. He wasn't biting on feints, he was holding his shape, his composure very well.

"That was the biggest surprise for me and I think honestly for Fury and his team as well. Because I think they were expecting him to be more reckless and make their life a bit easier.

Hardy suggested that Fury might have already been looking ahead to an undisputed match with Oleksandr Usky, which is now scheduled for May 18, and is also shown live on DAZN PPV.

"That wasn't the best version I've seen of Fury, absolutely. I do feel like he was in the process of training camp for another fight, for the Usyk fight potentially," he said.

"But I was also very impressed with Ngannou. He looked far more like a boxer than I expected and Fury looked more untidy than I expected. I don't honestly think he was able to recover psychologically when he realised this wasn't going to be an easy night for him.

"From that point, it just kind of cascaded. It filled Ngannou with confidence because he could see things were just working out in his favour. The energy that he got from seeing Tyson hit the floor must have really lifted him."

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