Johnny Nelson has warned Anthony Joshua that his reputation will be in tatters if he loses to Francis Ngannou next month.
Joshua faces ex-UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou over 10 rounds in Saudi Arabia on March 8 in what will be the latter’s second professional bout.
Despite dropping Tyson Fury and being on the end of a contentious split decision loss on his professional debut, former cruiserweight world champion, Nelson still believes that it would be a disaster if ‘AJ’ loses to the 37-year-old.
“I think he comes through it with flying colours,” Nelson told Sky Sports News.
“I think Joshua wants to be world champion again, I think Joshua knows what responsibility he will have. He will know ‘I just have to get through this fight and get the win’ because of the big pot of gold at the end of it.
“Common sense is risk-reward. For me, the risk way outweighs the reward.
“If Joshua somehow loses to Ngannou, that is it – credibility is gone, career is in tatters, and it is a lot of rebuilding.
“The risk is far too high, why would you?
“If you lose to him, all the Olympics, all the success, being two-time heavyweight champion, it is all gone, it has gone up in smoke because that is what you remember, you lost to a guy who had one previous fight before you.
“To me, common sense, I wouldn’t do it. Business-wise, I wouldn’t do it, but Ngannou has got himself into a position where you cannot ignore him.”
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The 34-year-old Londoner secured three victories in 2023, the last a fifth round retirement win over Otto Wallin in December.
Joshua was set to face Deontay Wilder in a long-awaited showdown, but saw that match-up go up in smoke after the American was beaten by Joseph Parker, enabling Ngannou to step in.
The Cameroonian questioned whether the former two-time heavyweight world champion would be able to get up from the canvas like Fury did if he manages to knock him down.
“Yeah, I have a doubt about that,” Ngannou said on DAZN.
“Tyson showed that he’s very resilient. I saw him come back from knockdowns like you wouldn’t believe.
“So I think he’s probably one of the most resistant person out there, and that’s not a disrespect to AJ.
“I don’t believe that AJ would take what Tyson did.”
