Rising heavyweight contender Frazer Clarke is expecting former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua to secure a dominant win over MMA veteran Francis Ngannou.
Joshua has reached an agreement to collide with Ngannou on March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ngannou has become a heavyweight player after a better than expected performance against WBC champion Tyson Fury last October in Saudi Arabia.
In what many expected to become a mismatch, Ngannou stunned observers by dropping Fury in the third and then fighting him on even terms until the final bell of the ten round contest. Fury came away with a close split decision win.
Clarke, an Olympic bronze medalist, has sparred Joshua on a regular basis.
“The good thing is about that one [Ngannou], we’ve already had a look at him now,” Clarke told Sky Sports.
“Before Fury was like the tester. He had to get in there when he wasn’t quite sure and neither were we about what he was going to get. I think [Joshua] can beat him and can beat him well. If the world title is your aim, then I would probably say you’ll want a more competitive name on your resume to get back to that stage.
“You’ve been at the top, you’ve come down a bit, and you’ve now just fought Otto Wallin to bridge the gap. Maybe you need to bridge the gap again to the next level up to get you ready for the world titles. I’m not sure if Ngannou is that? Saying that he had a good performance against Fury, but then again, what does it come down to? I hate having this conversation with people, because it’s not what people want to hear, but pound notes is a massive thing in boxing and I think ultimately that will do the talking.”