"I put an asterisk by that performance" - Francis Ngannou's coach downplays Anthony Joshua's fight against Otto Wallin

Francis Ngannou’s coach shared his thoughts on Anthony Joshua’s impressive win over Otto Wallin in December 2023.

Sweden’s Otto Wallin handed the reigning WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury one of the toughest fights of his career in September 2019. As a result, his recent fight against Joshua was expected to be a back-and-forth affair. However, Joshua made quick work of Wallin and walked away with a fifth-round knockout victory.

‘AJ’ is set to fight Ngannou on March 8. His standing in the heavyweight division and chances of winning are being evaluated based on the recent wins, particularly on his triumph against Wallin.

However, Ngannou’s coach Dewey Cooper highlighted the factors that contributed to Joshua’s dominant win over Wallin. While speaking to Ariel Helwani during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Cooper said:

“[Otto Walin that fought Tyson Fury] wasn’t the same Wallin that fought Joshua. It was a really subdued version of Otto Wallin. He was Anthony Joshua’s sparring partner for a few camps, he fought him in the amateurs and lost to him in the amateurs.”

He added:

“So that was a really modified, really subdued Walin. So, although Joshua looked good, I put an asterisk by that performance.”

Catch Cooper’s comments below [3:45]:

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Francis Ngannou labels the boxing match against Anthony Joshua ‘a chess game’ where anyone can get knocked out

Francis Ngannou is known for his legendary knockout power. During a recent interaction with Sky Sports, Ngannou was asked if he believed he could knock Anthony Joshua out in a frenzied exchange during their fight.

Ngannou said he is capable of knocking out just about anyone and shed light on different challenges in the way of scoring an impressive knockout win. He said:

"Of course! I believe if I land on anyone, I will knock them out. The question is how to land? That's the hardest thing. Almost everyone in this division can knock anyone out, but how do you land or carry that power and energy from first round to fifth round to 10 rounds and still hit someone hard or knock somebody out after all the fatigue? It's a chess game." [H/T Sky Sports]

Joshua vs. Ngannou will headline the Knockout Chaos event scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 8.