The stance change made by Francis Ngannou was labeled as a mistake by Anthony Joshua's coach.

Anthony Joshua's coach, Ben Davison, reflected on Francis Ngannou's recent boxing match, pinpointing a crucial mistake that led to his downfall. Ngannou's decision to switch from his traditional stance to orthodox proved costly, especially against Joshua's strategic planning. Davison revealed that they had anticipated this move, drawing from Ngannou's background in MMA, where stance switches are more prevalent.

According to Davison, they capitalized on Ngannou's vulnerability to AJ's right hand from the southpaw stance, a vulnerability they had carefully orchestrated. Despite acknowledging Ngannou's habitual stance switches, Davison deemed this particular move as a tactical error on Ngannou's part.

" We knew he would struggle to defend if AJ did a couple of things beforehand to set a certain scenario up, he’s struggle to defend the right hand from southpaw stance, and that’s what happened," Davison said Wednesday on The MMA Hour. "I just think it was a mistake on his behalf, but I understand ... he’s done that throughout his career as well."

Drawing from footage of Ngannou's previous fights, including his near-upset of Tyson Fury, Davison emphasized their meticulous preparation and their willingness to learn from Ngannou's MMA days. Their strategy focused on creating scenarios where Ngannou would be caught off guard, diverting his attention before landing significant blows.

Acknowledging Ngannou's toughness, Davison dismissed doubts about his chin, attributing the knockout to the sheer force of Joshua's punches, rather than any inherent weakness in Ngannou.

"I don’t think Francis doesn’t have a chin, but I don’t think it had ever been tested properly to the extent that people were claiming it to be," he said. "I think he is very tough, he’s known for the MMA world, and he showed that in the Tyson Fury fight, as well. I just think no matter how good your chin is, when you’re getting hit with punches that you can’t see by somebody like Anthony Joshua, no chin’s going to hold up against that."

Despite the defeat, Davison believes it's premature to dismiss Ngannou's boxing aspirations entirely. He noted significant improvements in Ngannou's stance and footwork, suggesting that with the right adjustments and opponents, Ngannou could still be a formidable force in the boxing ring.

"You’ve got to think about who he went up against in his first couple of fights," Davison said. "I think if he was to drop it down a level, I think even at the level he’s at ... I think he’d be a handfull for anybody. And if I’m honest, when he came out in Round 1, I could see, and I haven’t spoken to his team, but I’m sure they’d say he made tremendous improvements from the first boxing match to the second. I know it doesn’t look that way because of the result, but I can assure you that’s what they’d say, because I could see it."

Addressing critics who question Ngannou's decision to transition to boxing, Davison highlighted the fighter's dominance in the cage and the advantages he holds in MMA. While acknowledging the frustration of not being able to showcase his full skill set in boxing, Davison emphasized Ngannou's prowess in mixed martial arts, where his stand-up game is a potent weapon.

"If any of these guys step into the cage with [Ngannou], it’s game over," Davison said. "They have one chance and one shot to land a clean shot, and if they don’t and he gets ahold of him, it’s over.

“I understand a big part of Francis’ game is his standup game, so therefore it makes a little bit more sense for him crossing over to boxing. ... But I understand there must be a certain element of frustration knowing that if these guys were to go into the cage, he would be the one with the advantages.”