ANTHONY JOSHUA’S trainer has warned the Brit over the “serious threat” posed by Francis Ngannou.
Ben Davison will be in AJ’s corner for the stunning crossover fight later this month.
He has worked with some of boxing’s top superstars, including Tyson Fury.
And the respected coach is now looking to help Joshua rebuild his career after the Brit lost his world heavyweight titles to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021.
AJ’s last fight saw him cruise to an impressive win over Otto Wallin in December.
And he now faces a tricky test against UFC king Ngannou, who controversially lost to Fury in his first-ever boxing match last year.
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Davison admits he has told AJ not to treat Ngannou lightly.
The boxing expert fears the MMA star’s general fighting skills will serve him well in the ring again.
But Davison reckons that Joshua can get victory by utilising his own “tool box” correctly.
He told the One on One podcast: “(Ngannou) is a fighter, he’s a novice boxer, but he’s a fighter. He’s had plenty of fights and he’s had a boxing contest at the highest level.
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“He’s a serious threat, we’re treating it like a serious threat, we’re treating it like, ‘this is Ngannou, we need to be on it’.
“Physicality wise, you couldn’t pick two other guys that you think, ‘I hope it’s not him’, in the playground or the bar!
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“As well as the fact that he’s a skilled trained fighter, now a boxer who has boxed at the highest level…
“He had (MMA) fights where he’s won the world heavyweight title, he’s had a step up boxing at world level.
“How can you not call him world level? You’ve got to consider him that, we certainly are anyway.”
As for how AJ can emerge triumphant, Davison added: “It’s less adding (tools), more understanding
“He’s already got this massive toolbox, it’s more a case of, ‘you know this tool, did you know it can be used for this as well?’
“I don’t like the whole ‘rejuvenated AJ’, all we’ve done is help him understand his own tools and select the right tools for the job.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
