There is a saying in the streets: "Mess around and find out." That's precisely what Tyson Fury encountered when he stepped into the ring against Francis Ngannou in December. It was supposed to be a quick money grab and an easy night for the lineal heavyweight boxing champion. However, he discovered that the former UFC heavyweight champion was more than a barking dog!
Ngannou can fight, maybe not to the standards of a high-level boxer but to the level of a master combatant. On Friday in Saudi Arabia, Ngannou faces another challenger, Anthony Joshua. Yes, I called Joshua the challenger because many people, including myself, felt Ngannou beat the long-reigning champ, Fury.
Joshua is here to challenge Ngannou, not the other way around, because Joshua, deep down inside, cannot put to rest that Fury has been proclaimed the best heavyweight in England and the world, the successor to Lennox Lewis. Joshua wants to do something Fury couldn't do, but should have done, against the inexperienced boxer in Ngannou. That is to knock him into oblivion.
Joshua loves competition and is once again motivated by the pursuit of self-worth and self-perseverance. The Joshua I saw in the ring last December against Otto Wallin was vintage post-Olympic Joshua. He was sharp, efficient and explosive but, more importantly, sure of himself. This battle between Joshua and Ngannou should keep us on the edge of our seats, as success in the ring is seizing opportunities created by both participants and capitalizing on each other's mistakes, leaving little room for luck.