Midnight Mania! Teddy Atlas talks ‘exposed’ Francis Ngannou: ‘Not ready for prime time’

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

It’s tough to get a read on Francis Ngannou’s boxing abilities.

On one hand, he knocked down Tyson Fury and nearly won a split-decision. On the other, Anthony Joshua scored a flawless victory over “The Predator,” knocking him down three times in just two routes en route to a brutal knockout win (watch highlights). It’s difficult to know just how much of Ngannou’s success against Fury came due to the champion being ill-prepared, or it could just be that Joshua came in with the right game plan and executed perfectly.

Really, it all comes down to the relatively small amount of time in the ring for Ngannou, who never competed in the amateur ranks before that debut against Tyson Fury. Perhaps that’s why analyst Teddy Atlas is now labeling Ngannou an “amateur” boxer after his knockout loss. Unlike Fury, Joshua was able to demonstrate Ngannou’s inexperience and capitalize very quickly.

“He exposed an amateur, because he did in reality,” Atlas said on his YouTube channel (via MMA Junkie). “I know the great performance against Fury, I explained that, it was great, but that was different. Now he had to react. I even think Ngannou’s confidence hurt him because he thought he could be more aggressive, and he was ready to be more aggressive. He was right in front of him. I thought that hurt him this time because he wasn’t that guy yet.

“He was still an amateur, and we forgot that because of his brilliance performance against Fury. … (Joshua) reminded us he was an amateur, he’s not ready for prime time because he did what a top guy should do. You exposed him. You exposed the things he wasn’t yet.”

Why the massive difference in outcomes and performance? Atlas contributes Ngannou’s success in his boxing debut to the element of surprise, as well as matching up better stylistically with “The Gypsy King.”

“Styles makes fights,” Atlas explained. “Fury’s style was completely different from Joshua’s, that’s No. 1. It does influence fights. No. 2. There was something missing that was there the first time, that helped Ngannou when he fought Fury. That something is the element of surprise. That’s a big something, not a little something. Fury was ready physically, he was, I’m making no excuses. Tremendous job by Ngannou, but Fury wasn’t ready mentally.

“You couldn’t be. It’s almost not human to have really taken him seriously, where every fiber of your body and mind would be ready for what was coming. It was his first pro fight, and you’re the champion of the world.”

After the defeat, Ngannou may be returning to the MMA cage by making his Professional Fighter’s League (PFL) debut. He’s adamant, however, that his boxing career isn’t over yet, and perhaps that third matchup will prove whether or not Ngannou really has something left to offer boxing.

Insomnia

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Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.