ANTHONY JOSHUA has received the backing of old sparring partner David Price in his fight against Francis Ngannou.
Joshua returns on March 8 in Saudi Arabia against Ngannou, who only made his boxing debut in October against Tyson Fury.
PAAnthony Joshua fights Francis Ngannou on March 8[/caption]
David Price once dropped Joshua in sparringPA:Press Association
And the former UFC champion-turned boxing debutant astonishingly dropped Fury despite losing a controversial split-decision.
The performance was still enough to earn him another blockbuster in Riyadh, this time against AJ.
But Price – who once floored Joshua in sparring – believes this time Ngannou will not have the same success in the ring.
He told iFL TV: “I think Joshua will walk through him really in a boxing match.
“I think it will magnify what happened with Fury and get people talking more again.”
Price, 40, retired in 2021 two years after defeat to Derek Chisora, 40.
But in 2016, he was considered as an opponent for Joshua, who at the time was making the second defence of his IBF title.
Price stated his case by revealing that he had dropped Joshua in a previous sparring session.
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AJ was an amateur boxer at the time and never denied Price’s claim when probed in the past.
Joshua told Sky Sports in 2016: “Yes, he dropped me in sparring and I continued training and that’s why I am here now.
“In a sense, you have to look at these things as a blessing in disguise because in boxing, a lot of people get dropped, get hurt and then go on and do great things.”