Francis Ngannou does not yet have the level to face heavyweight boxers at the highest level according to Terence Crawford.
Francis Ngannou signed up with the PFL last month and in his contract it is stipulated that he can go boxing against whomever he wants. This is part of the reason the ‘Predator’ left the UFC in January, relinquishing his heavyweight title.
Even if his first boxing fight is not yet official, Ngannou should make his debut in the noble art in 2023, then resume MMA in 2024. For boxing, fights against Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder or Anthony Joshua have been put on the carpet, even if the latter does not seem to be interested.
But for Terence Crawford, the WBO welterweight champion, Francis Ngannou is not yet ready to face the top level in boxing (via TheMMAHour):
“This guy is a puncher, he does his thing in MMA. It’s different there. Looking at the best heavyweights in the world today, I don’t think he stands a chance against either of those guys in boxing, to be honest. »
“No, no, no, he doesn’t have to stick to MMA. I would tell him to get his feet wet, try to fight lower level guys first. Just to get comfortable and get used to getting in the ring and doing rounds. MMA and boxing are different. You have to get used to competent people coming right in your face and overtaking you. It’s all about boxing. He has to do that before he goes to a ring and rubs shoulders with these guys. »
Crawford clearly thinks that Francis Ngannou should first try his hand at lower level boxers than those he wants to face, but not sure that Francis has this vision of things.
What do you think of Terence Crawford’s comments on Francis Ngannou’s boxing debut?
