Ben Davison, the coach of British former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs), commented on Anthony's resounding victory over former UFC champion Francis Ngannou (0-2, 0 KOs), as reported by IFL TV.
— Total annihilation! Was this the plan from the start?
— Yes, we came up with this as a team. No disrespect to Ngannou, but there was a lot of talk about his holder. We weren't so convinced. He hadn't taken hits like Joshua's, which he so prepared for. And that's the result.
— Tell us about that right punch in the first round. Ngannou really never recovered from it.
— Yes, he's naturally not a southpaw, but he switched to a southpaw stance. We told Joshua to throw a right to the body, and we were confident he'd try to parry it. That's exactly what he did, and Joshua loaded up, leading to the first knockdown.
— We saw some other elements of victory over Wallin, but tonight we saw the old good Joshua we've always seen before.
— Yes. I just think it's all Joshua. We don't have a magic wand or anything like that. We just helped him pick the right tools for the job.
— Are you his main coach now?
— In this game, you never know.
— Your working relationship seems to be going very well. If it ain't broke, why fix it?
— Yes, I think so, but in boxing, everything changes, we all know that. I'm just taking it step by step.
— We reckon Joshua won't wait for Usyk and Fury to fight twice. Do you want him to fight again?
— Do they need two fights? I think people are eager to see Joshua with the winner of that fight. I don't know. My job is to train. So, I'll stay away from that.
— Is Hrgovic an option?
— I don't know. Again, that's not my job. To be honest, these fights are now closer than ever. I think we should try to make them while they're relevant.
On March 8th in Saudi Arabia, the fight between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou took place.
Already in the first round, Joshua sent his opponent to the canvas with a knockdown. In the second, the Brit finished the confrontation by sending his opponent to a second knockdown, then followed up with a decisive blow.
This marks Joshua's fourth victory in the last 11 months and his third consecutive early win.