“He’s Got the Size, the Power, the Strength”: Ricky Hatton Makes His Case for Who Anthony Joshua Should Fight Next Between Francis Ngannou and Deontay Wilder

In his time, Ricky Hatton was one of the UK’s biggest draws. He participated in some of the most significant fights of the modern era. It includes the losses to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. It’s been over a decade since ‘The Hitman’ retired. Now a well-known trainer, he still retains a respectable presence in the British boxing scene. More often than not, he offers his thoughts and opinions on the most current happenings in the sport.

Sportslens reached out to the former two-division champion to gauge his perceptions of Anthony Joshua‘s next fight. Whether he feels that the former heavyweight champion should settle for a Deontay Wilder fight or pursue Francis Ngannou. Hatton, who has in the past stood as a cornerman for Tyson Fury, revealed what he reckoned would be the most judicious course of action for Joshua.

Anthony Joshua on par with ‘The Predator’

Ricky Hatton said, “I think Francis Ngannou,” when the reporter asked Deontay Wilder and Francis Ngannou who would be his picks to go against Anthony Joshua. The former world champion explained that the former UFC heavyweight champion might not be a heavy hitter in Wilder’s league. But he is not way off the mark when it comes to power punches.

Then Hatton took up Joshua’s case and said, “But I think, you know, AJ’s got, you know, fantastic boxing ability. He’s got the size, the power, [and] the strength.” He reasoned that ‘AJ’s amateur exposure should give him an edge over Fury to withstand the Cameroonian-French fighter’s punishments.

Hatton continued, “I think just the fact that Wilder has that such massive one dynamite punch, you know what I mean? And technically, he’s not even in the equation with AJ when it comes to skill and boxing ability, and talent. But he can hit, you know what I mean? And he’s technically crap Wilder, but when that right-hand goes, he only needs one of them.”

Ricky Hatton thinks Joshua is on a different level than Deontay Wilder. However, according to him, if Wilder manages to land one clean right-hand on Joshua, then it’s game over for him. Francis Ngannou, on the other hand, is the current hot property for all fans and followers. So if he steps into the ring and performs better than he did against Fury, then boxing lovers might finally get the bout they had been waiting for such a long time.

The reporter later asked whether he thinks Anthony Joshua still had his heart set on succeeding and winning belts. To this, the former light welterweight champion replied that according to him Joshua still has it.

A future prospect

Incidentally, as they are lined up, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder will be meeting in Riyadh on December 23. But they won’t be going against each other. While ‘AJ’ has been matched up against Sweden’s Otto Wallin, Wilder will fight Australian heavyweight Joseph Parker. Reportedly, there is a high chance of the two squaring off during the early months of next year. Soon after the October 28 Fury-Ngannou fight, Eddie Hearn sounded very excited about a Joshua-Ngannou match-up. However, as of now, given all the excitement and attention surrounding the Wilder fight, a fight with ‘The Predator’ appears to have been put on the possibility rack.

Read More: “It Wasn’t Pretty”: Former World Champion Ricky Hatton Remains Brutally Honest About Tyson Fury Vs Francis Ngannou Bout

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