I've sparred Francis Ngannou and got knocked out by Anthony Joshua – here's why I can't call their fight

04/03/2024 11:33

Joe Joyce is perfectly placed to predict Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngnannou – but he hasn’t got a clue who’ll win.

The 38-year-old is one of the few men on the planet who has shared the ring with Joshua and Ngannou ahead of their eagerly anticipated clash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Joyce sparred Ngannou ahead of his win over Daniel Dubois in November 2020, three years before the former UFC heavyweight champion decided to change sports.

'The Predator' shocked the world when he dropped WBC heavyweight titleholder Tyson Fury and pushed him to the brink of defeat last October.

Despite being impressed by Ngannou's power in sparring, ‘The Juggernaut’ was shocked to see how good Ngannou looked during his debut against arguably the best heavyweight in boxing.

“I thought he did very well against Fury, he got the knockdown," Joyce told talKSPORT.com.

"He massively improved because when I [sparred] him he was more UFC. So, he was a bit more open, and I could kind of see the punches coming a bit more.

“They were big power shots I had to get away from! I sparred him like four rounds. I could see his punches coming, so I just had to move out the way. And he was a bit open. Boxing is more tighter and cuter.

"I think he's massively improved, and he showed the level by how he took on Fury like that and was pretty successful in that fight.”

Joyce has a much deeper history with Joshua, who stopped him in the first round of their lone amateur contest, as they were teammates.

Leaked sparring footage of AJ pummelling Joyce when the pair were GB athletes together was derided by Joyce as a video flatteringly edited by Joshua's team.

He added: "I spent a lot of time with [Joshua] on the GB team.

"We sparred a lot. I got into the squad in May 2012 when he was already qualified for the Olympics. I did a lot of sparring with him up until the Olympics and he stayed up there and helped me along up until Rio 2016.

"I spent a lot of time with him up until that point, but as a pro, we haven't really crossed paths since then. He's done what he's done, and I've done what I've done."

Despite sharing many tough sparring rounds with Joshua, Joyce is unsure about how the former two-time heavyweight world champion will do when he takes on a novice in his next bout

"I think it's a 50/50 fight," he said.

"They can obviously both bang. Joshua is more experienced in boxing, but then again Ngannou did start with boxing and has shown what his levels are against Fury.

"I don't know who my money is on, it's a great fight."