\u2014 MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 9, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n Speaking of Ngannou, he was one of the few fighters that Jake Paul’s team contacted in the wake of his scheduled fight against Gervonta “Tank” Davis getting cancelled in November. But Ngannou didn’t want to accept the fight, which led to Paul’s team pivoting to a bout against Joshua. <\/p>\n Francis Ngannou Speaks on Declining Jake Paul Fight Invite, Drops Jake vs. Joshua Prediction<\/p>\n Ngannou was the guest on a December 10 episode of The Ariel Helwani Show and was asked about the reported offer to fight Paul. <\/p>\n \u201cNakisa [Bidarian] reached out and let me know that Gervonta Davis is having some situation, so he\u2019s not going to be in the fight anymore. They were looking for a replacement, and then they thought about me. I’m like, me? How?… I was very confused. How can you guys go from Gervonta Davis to me? It was quite confusing, I didn\u2019t even believe that,” Ngannou said, per an X post<\/a> from Helwani. <\/p>\n Francis Ngannou expresses his belief that Mike Tyson still has the ability to beat Jake Paul in their forthcoming encounter<\/p>\n When Helwani later asked Ngannou whether Paul’s team actually offered him money to fight Paul, Ngannou said, “Let’s say he was ready to pay. I didn’t talk money. I personally didn\u2019t talk money. But he was ready to pay, even if the money was right… They had the intention to pay me a good amount of money.”<\/p>\n A bit later on, Helwani asked Ngannou how he thought the fight between Paul and Joshua was going to play out, and Ngannou said, “I think AJ wins. I mean, do you think otherwise?”<\/p>\n Helwani then said many people believe Joshua will knock Paul out in the first round, to which Ngannou said, “Yeah. I would say so. But why exactly is Jake Paul [taking this] fight? That’s what I’m excited to see. What is his strategy?” <\/p>\n Ngannou seems to think Paul has some ace up his sleeve or some unknown motive for picking Joshua, which is why he decided to take on this massive challenge. Although that didn’t keep him from predicting that Joshua would put Paul’s lights out.<\/p>\n The Latest Boxing News<\/p>\n Ryan Garcia Blasts Terence Crawford For ‘Cowardice’ After WBC Decision<\/p>\n Teddy Atlas Gives Scorecard Take On Controversial Isaac Cruz vs Lamont Roach Draw<\/a><\/p>\n Gervonta Davis Breaks Silence On Jake Paul Fight Collapse With Defiant Message<\/a><\/p>\n Jai Opetaia Opponent Remains Hospitalized After Brutal KO Loss<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Ngannou](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01j6cy1eq6d62ss57g9k.jpg\" "\\"Ngannou")
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