Joshua's Coach on Ngannou: "He's a Real Threat"

In an interview with Gareth A Davies' YouTube channel, Ben Davison, the coach of former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs), shared insights into working with the British fighter.

"It's fascinating. Obviously, you see that he's a consummate professional, but as you get closer, you realize he's more than that – he's exceptionally professional, takes his job extremely seriously, and is incredibly hardworking. It's a sheer pleasure to train someone like him.

The fight against Wallin? It went pretty much as we expected, to be honest. I think Otto took some solid shots early in the first round, took a right to the body that made him second-guess. I believe if he had come out a bit lighter, that shot might not have landed so early. And if he had started more aggressively, the knockout could have happened even earlier. But these were scenarios we prepared for. If he hesitated, we knew how to proceed. And that's exactly how it played out. I consider it a very good performance.

Every time you step into the ring, it's a risk. Anyone who has achieved what Anthony Joshua has is always at risk. And Francis isn't a newcomer; he's a fighter, a former UFC heavyweight champion. Most of his knockouts have been on the feet, and he lost by split decision to Fury. He's a real threat, someone to be taken seriously. As I've said, Anthony Joshua is the epitome of professionalism. That's how he acts – he takes it and prepares for it seriously," Davison explained.

The clash between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou (0-1) is set for March 8th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.