Paulie Malignaggi commended Anthony Joshua’s boxing skills in his victory over Francis Ngannou, stating that Joshua’s versatility and experience gave him the upper hand, but also acknowledged Ngannou’s potential if he continues in boxing.
Paulie Malignaggi’s got something to say. And it’s about Anthony Joshua. He reckons Joshua’s recent fight proves there’s a hierarchy in boxing.
Joshua went head-to-head with Francis Ngannou last Friday. The venue? Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event? A 10-round heavyweight boxing match. But guess what? It didn’t even last that long.
Joshua floored the ex-UFC heavyweight champ. Not once, but twice. And by the second round, Ngannou was out cold.
Before the fight, there were whispers. Whispers that Ngannou could upset Joshua. Malignaggi wasn’t buying it. Now that it’s done and dusted, he says it went down just as he predicted.
“People thought Ngannou’s power would be a problem,” Malignaggi shared on his YouTube channel. “Sure, a strong guy can be tricky. Ngannou’s momentum probably came from his bout with Tyson Fury. That fight let the cat out of the bag, so to speak. People started taking Ngannou more seriously. He wasn’t just another MMA guy turned punching bag. He made the right adjustments in boxing and earned respect.
“But,” Malignaggi continued, “even if Ngannou had the basics down — and he did, better than most MMA fighters who switch to boxing — it’s still just the basics. A more versatile fighter, one with different layers to his style, would still confuse him. Once the fight got complicated, Ngannou wouldn’t have much to do, except hope for a lucky punch.”
Malignaggi knows his stuff. He’s a two-weight world champ with a 36-8 record. He’s spent the last few years analyzing the sport, and he gave a detailed breakdown of how Joshua took Ngannou apart.
“Ngannou can think in the ring, but he lacks the experience to use his skills,” Malignaggi explained. “He’s always going to be basic. Joshua used level changes, rhythm changes, jabs upstairs and downstairs, feints with his feet and shoulders, and lead with his left hand brilliantly.
“That lead hand set up the power. It knocked Ngannou’s confidence, disrupted his rhythm, and took away his comfort in throwing power shots. That’s the difference with boxers. A good boxer in a boxing ring has all those layers. A guy who hasn’t focused on boxing his whole life won’t.”
Despite the one-sided match, Malignaggi isn’t writing off Ngannou as a boxer. The former WBA welterweight champion praised “The Predator”, but suggested he needs to dial back on the competition if he wants to stick with boxing.
“Ngannou has potential,” Malignaggi said. “If he’d focused on boxing his whole career, he might’ve gone places. But he chose MMA, and he had a great career there.
“If Ngannou stays in boxing, he’ll need to take a step back. Fight a top-20 or top-25 guy. That’s still impressive, considering this would only be his third pro fight. But starting against two of the top three heavyweights in the world? That’s a tough gig.”