Anthony Joshua: Francis ‘Ngannou Is My Undisputed Title Fight’ | The MMA Hour

massive massive honor very very exciting let us say hello to the one and only the two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua my man AJ how are you sir thank you so much for doing this it's a great honor to finally speak to you it's honor to speak to you as well and um I've listened to your interviews and there are things that you've asked did AJ say this and now we finally get to have uh uh artificial intelligent face to face okay yes one of these days I would love to do it in person but I'll take what I could get is there something where are now I'm in New York City New York City yeah you coming by not right now I'm in training camp I'm lock down all right I feel you and can I just say AJ off the bat I have watched your your uh your mini documentary with Louis THU three times uh you and him were so on point and uh the Rapport that you guys had and the questions he asked you and and really what we saw from you was I felt a different side it was so enjoyable so kudos to you on that thank you so much I appreciate it thank you so much uh can can I ask inter how UK media can transition now over to the states and you know it's nice to know that it's what we're doing in the UK is reaching a global market the work is paying off amen and there's no one better than Louie in my opinion can I ask you about one thing you said in that piece uh you said that the sport don't always love you back the sport of boxing doesn't always love you back do you feel now with the payday with the opportunities with the the stage that you are getting that the sport is starting to finally love you back I did that that's not that's not the sport I work my I work my behind off yeah I work hard to to put myself in a certain position but in the sense when I say the sport don't love you back like unfortunately in this game you know not everyone can be a Muhammad Ali not everyone can be a Mike Tyson and unless you are those the sport don't love you back you're here today and gone tomorrow it's like the flavor of the month and you just have to be aware of that when good when times are good don't get tooo comfortable and when times are bad don't get too comfortable just keep balanced and you'll go through life at a good Pace have you always had that perspective or is that something you had to learn I think I've always had that perspective I always say like I've always been this way way before you know I was a old head before I was an old head you know I wise head on my shoulders from a young age is that is that FEI is is fi the the the old head what' you know about FEI I mean I'm trying to learn more I like FEI FEI seems like a cool guy I'm trying to talk to Dei I'm trying to talk to the whole family I want to get in with the ajs with the Joshua one day one day I'm GNA bring you over I want you know I'm big in Watford by the way they love me down there right hey I'll be coming to New York City soon as well I'm gonna come and hit you up all right I love that um so you just you just finished this face off with the big man did you did you take anything away from him did you read any like is there anything that you can walk away with after seeing Francis face to face not really I I've never kind of look at a face to face and think like they're scared or they're ready because the fight is its own is its own drama in itself so you know I've seen like Fighters Look Away first and gone out and put a whooping on their opponent or whatever it is but he he's ready he's a fighter that's just what I know with or about a face off I don't have to do a face off to know what type of person he is I searched him I've listened to your interviews as well I understand I understand his mentality so yeah um I just know what I need to know about in way before the face up we're not beefing though right you don't do you have any problems with anything that I've said because you've referenced it twice now yeah I I I wouldn't say if I didn't we're not beefing but let's say we have got beef until you prove me otherwise what really what did I you know yeah we've got beef wow what did I say that offended you oh I think I just want you to believe in me and I'm going to prove it to you on March the 8th I love that can I tell you something Anthony um after the second usyk fight my my heart genuinely broke for you and I hated I I hated the way the UK media and the UK fans were kicking you while you were down and in fact I no love I was in London and I did a bunch of Medias it was like two days after your fight and I said I it blows me away how they don't back you how they disrespect you how they kick you while you're down what more could you do for this country and for this scene and for this sport in the country and I I've had your back since then but long before that so please you know Francis is an MMA guy we got but I I've had your back and I'll send you that clip and a lot of people gave me for that saying that you were done let's Squatch the beef man it's a new year let's put it behind us and move for let's go AJ I'm gonna hug you right now I'm in fight mode give I'll give you one of these I'll give you one of these can can I ask you though we can't get too friendly I don't know what you'll say When I'm Not Looking nah come on I'm as I'm straight I'm straight as a paper let me let me ask you this AJ the guy who was sitting on that de in Saudi Arabia in August of 2022 you were very emotional and it was really hard to see you in that state truthfully could you have ever imagined that the next year and a half would go down like this that you would be able to turn things around like this you hand on my heart I did because you know when you study the history of boxing or history in general it's always got Peaks and troughs highs and lows that's just the balance of life um you know I ride a wave I dip a bit I ride a wave it's just how life goes that's what livings about so I've always known that that's just how it is and Ana arise again and here we are it's it's it only stops when I stop and I'm still going strong I've still got a lot more life left in me so perhaps you say that with a bit of perspective but was there any moment in the immediate aftermath of that fight where you were like you know what I don't need this anymore I'm done with this oh no okay hell no I was like what's next and that's when I start strategizing about my training team I'm going to do I'm looking to fight in my mind I'm like I got about four months to get well a month to get this right because I want to fight in the next three months I need to speak with my coach speak with another coach start rearranging things and reconstruct my team I'm at War I put myself on a on a sentence judge dudy bang you are sentenced to x amount of time to boxing your life is committed whether you're up or down you got to keep on striving and finding a way through and no matter what happens I'm committed to the sport until a certain time until my release date and um that's all I'm going to commit myself to so yeah I never looked at another Direction this is all I know from every ounce in my body fighting is just all I know uh when does that sentence end I can't tell you that my man you know you know you have an age or a date or a year in your in your mind yeah definitely definitely definitely I can't do it forever right I can't do it forever unfortunately so I have to kind of and that's why you have to say the sport don't love you back you have to know when it's time no one should tell you when it's time you have to know like when it's time to kind of step aside so um I'm just a realist I know about the game you know um I watch all those American ganger documentaries you know you got know when to leave the game have you got know when to leave the game as a youngster did you ever watch Fighters stick around too long and say to yourself I'm not going to be that guy like do you remember thinking that even before this journey started um I think the only one I would say but this is the thing I don't call it stick around too long I think if you're passionate just because you take a few L's does that mean you should stop it just means that you've got passion for the game and I love to see people that keep on fighting for more but the only person I can really remember was Roy Jones Jr who um you know who they said should have retired a bit earlier on but the guy's still involved in boxing till till now and uh it just shows that he's passionate about it whether he's figh in whether he's winning whether he's losing I just think he's just born to fight James Tony still fighting right the ru it's just in our DNA when when Deontay Wilder lost on December 23rd in the back of your mind did you think all right it's going to be Francis or did you have to be convinced to go this route so I thought it might be wilder still because the contracts were signed um and it's still a big fight still an amazing fight um it's a crossover between UK and USA what good stuff promotional wise still a good fight um so now I kind of let that one slide for a bit then it was like the herovic situation the Ruiz situation and then they put Frances there and then my team were like this is a good opportunity on this day in Saudi Arabia against this opponent what you saying said let's Roll let's go and and you'll be with Ben Davidson by your side yes sir I spoke to Derek had good dialogue he gets it as much as I want to you know be out there with with with with you guys I'm from the UK and we're good here we're working hard um Derek knows Ben Davidson's a great trainer and I'm in good hands so aside from just training me he wants to make sure I'm in good hands and you know he gave the green light so we're all good to go I think this is a dream pairing I hope you and Ben stay together for the rest of your career I think so highly of him is this a fight by fight basis or are you now sticking with him from here on out no ha I I might change my mind next week a little stability is good for the soul no good my team are gonna Bol my boots down in that gym and I'm gonna get crack I love it I love it and and and for you to fight a another fighter of African descent right he he has done such great things for Cameroon Francis I know you want to beat him and I know he's trying to take something that you want as well but is there some pride you know to F I know you're very proud of your your African Heritage as well uh you representing Nigeria him Cameroon is there some Pride to be fighting a fellow African fighter there is but right now no lives matter this a straight War I'll be real with you it's War we're at War this isn't like they say there's no friends at War so I respect the guy as you said he's done well all that good stuff but we we're fighting and then I have to get my mind and TR for what's about to happen do you respect him as a boxer yeah yeah definitely he's always wanted to be a boxer he's got a standup game he and yeah I respect him as a boxer definitely yeah I have to is is part of the motivation let me beat him better than Fury did let me stop him because Fury couldn't not at all not at all because me and fury are completely different I'm just going to do exactly what I need to do and I'm just going to focus on myself the minute I start focusing on what Fury done I've already lost the fight I've already put myself at disadvantage if I just focus on what I'm good at and do what I do I'm I'm putting myself at an advantage so I'm avoiding any Fury relations of what he done and so on and so forth but let me tell you this please every opponent that me and fury have in Comm common have stopped or knocked out including aov Valene just recently yeah correct okay so let's see um your man Eddie Hearn said he said this was easy work don't worry about what Eddie said easy work easy money do there's no easy fight there's no easy fight why is he saying this why is he saying this he said easy money he believes in me he believes in me like I've never SE like someone on X Factor that can't sing but their parents believe in them like Eddie Eddie's my guy like through freck and fin he believes in me you know what I'm saying so he's always gonna back me why why wouldn't he I love it but you know there's one thing to say I back him great fight it's another thing to say ah easy money this is going to be a walloping he believes in me yeah and yeah he just Believes In Me he believes have you ever felt that and I'm going to let you go in two minutes I know we're tight on time here this is such a pleasure I wish we could do this for an hour but uh I'm enjoying the conversation I appreciate that has has have you ever felt like he didn't believe in you at any point in your journey um no I think he thought what's this guy doing and it was around the first usyk fight he he saw a change in in my strategy and style and my development as a fighter but I took it upon myself to do that and um now he walks into the changing room before the Walling fight and he said what the beep beep is going on we are back I love it and and I I love I love the Loyalty you have towards him as well like you won't even talk to the Queensberry guys I love that that's kind I like that you know what we can't mess with those guys I wanted them to reference him as a Hall of Fame promoter but they didn't but I'm not going to cause any any drama today I'm going to let it slide but yeah Eddie's a Hall of Fame promoter in my opinion he's guiding me from zero to up up to now and um one of the best in the game and he's trying to take over the market globally I really respect him have you been told explicitly you win this fight you will fight for the Undisputed title next it was announced at the press conference today but nothing contractually but um it was announced at the press conference today so but let me say this again I'm not focusing on that I'm going to take my mind you know I have to draw it back that unu is my Undisputed title fight that's the mentality I have to have and is my Undisputed fight because you're only as good as your last fight so and and I respect him a lot you know he ain't easy money he's a hard night's work and you know what's crazy H so am I amen I'm a hard nights work for anyone so let's go it's going to be fireworks especially this version of AJ oh my gosh I got goosebumps now talking about all this this is incredible seeing how happy you are the smile I'm stick now you got me on the phone what what do you mean what what do you want me to say about him what do you want me to say like like whatever you say about me I don't say by listen Eddie's coming on here and he's ragging our guy I had to stick up for the MMA guy but I got love I got love I got mad love remember what it is I got mad love for AJ and especially this version of AJ happy F the doubters F the haters you're not happy sorry smiling you're smiling that's right I hope we I hope we see have we ever seen fi in the ring has it always I hope we see FEI in the ring that's what I hope I want to see that version of you in the ring I don't you know wearing the wearing the bad luck Adidas shirt you know what I'm talking about so you could just lose everyone you lose the crowd forget about the crowd forget about everyone just go out there and perform win let's go to war let's go to war last question for you AJ last question most important question of all what are you listening to when you have the airpod you always have the airpod on the what you you I'm dying to know very yes what a what a well you always got it there and by the way AJ what a I heard you're making a lot of money you need the new airpods you got the old one you got the long one AJ come on you're making 50 million you need this one AJ I'm broke baby I'm broke what are you listening to in there what is it motivational music what is it I'm telling you telling you you meditate you listening to Central C that's my guy Central C you know that she don't listen to UK rap you know what I'm talking what do you know about Central yes that would be incredible if you walk out with Central se you think you can make that happen man forget all that stuff right now okay we don't need that we don't need that forget it forget forget we're focused taking my mind sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry AJ you're the man I'm so excited about this thank you for doing this much love to you and your family good luck and hopefully we'll see you out there in uh Riad if if we see you out there will you give me a a fist bump 100% uh 100 met my man that's right AJ my God thank you so much AJ all the best to you there he is SOS somebody rescued me got too many got too many got too many oh that was that was crazy guys that was that was like a shot of adrenaline thanks for watching we appreciate it very much hey if you like this video give us the old thumbs up subscribe as well you can get many more of these videos on the 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Channel: MMAFightingonSBN

Views: 299,442

Keywords: mma fighting, mixed martial arts, martial arts, ultimate fighting championship, combat sports, combat tv, ufc, mma, mma knockouts, ufc news, mma fight, mma news, fighter, boxing, francis ngannou, anthony joshua, matchroom boxing, boxing vs. mma, eddie hearn, ariel helwani, the mma hour with ariel helwani

Id: JdJtI1JFnUM

Length: 16min 25sec (985 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 15 2024