A former UFC heavyweight champion defecting to boxing is on the path to a certain knockout due to the levels involved in both sports.
Francis Ngannou, known as “The Predator,” is hoping to cash in on his status in MMA by facing a top superstar in the rival code.
Already linked to Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte, and Anthony Joshua, Ngannou has no shortage of takers. It’s easy to see why.
The gulf in classes between UFC and boxing is vast. The skills involved in being a boxer far exceed those in Mixed Martial Arts. That’s a known fact.
UFC Heavyweight Champion
UFC is a more varied version of combat. In contrast, boxing is a honed craft that takes years to perfect – if ever.
Ngannou has been training for a boxing debut. However, the lofty heights where he has to operate to earn significant money make it a massively tricky task.
If he ever faces Fury, Whyte, or Joshua, it’s widely thought in boxing that the British trio would put him firmly on his backside.
Otto Wallin, who faced Fury and almost defeated him in Las Vegas, aired his views on Ngannou switching codes.
“I’ve seen him in the UFC, and he was so incredibly good, but his boxing is obviously inferior to those of us who are at the top in heavyweight boxing,” Wallin told Rekatochklart.
“It’s two different sports. He did hit hard [in UFC], but you don’t get very far with that. Not if you don’t have a good defense.
“You have to be able to land those punches too.”
On Fury, he added: “If you’re lucky, you can take on Tyson Fury or someone and make a lot of money right away for a fight. But it might be hard to get there if he has to work his way up.”
Francis Ngannou
If Fury doesn’t face Ngannou and the UFC star is at a loose end, Wallin would consider giving him the first bashing.
“It could probably go pretty well for me,” he predicted. “I think that’s a fight I would win and maybe make some money.
“And I think many people would be interested in seeing the fight. He probably has a lot of fans, so that way, I’d probably do pretty well for myself.”
It’s predicted that Ngannou will re-sign for Dana White within a year once his boxing dream gets trampled on by the first bonafide heavyweight force he meets.
As the Predator saying he goes, “I ain’t got time to bleed.” – But Francis, there will be blood!
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of experienced boxing writer Phil Jay. Twitter @PhilJWBN. Furthermore, follow WBN on Facebook, Insta, and Twitter.
