Deep into another Anthony Joshua fight week, build-up before Friday’s fantastic heavyweight clash continues. I spoke to Francis Ngannou’s highly-rated head coach Dewey Cooper about many topics including: how he and the team have studied the Olympic champion, helping their Cameroonian charge develop in a new sport while assessing the landscape across disciplines in 2024.
Cooper confident of more TCL growth before season two
Hasim Rahman Jr (left) is floored during a round of action during season one
AS president of the Team Combat League, former multi-faceted athlete turned coach Dewey Cooper doesn’t dismiss the privileged position he has earned.
Instead, he’s ambitious about what the future holds for a relatively new venture gradually picking up steam – not just for the team-based concept or unorthodox one-round format but the growing marketability coming with the territory too.
“It’ll revolutionise the great sport of boxing, people love the comradrarie of team sports — football, american football, basketball just a few examples, as we see in the Olympics against other nations.
So why not make a professional boxing team concept?
We’ve updated it to today’s standards, I’ve seen 12-round championship fights which seem compelling on paper but are a bore… they don’t fight hard until the 11th and 12th rounds. We’ve taken the fluff out of fighting: 24 fighters on each team fighting one round apiece, one competition.”
He talks passionately about season one, issuing an open challenge to any and all who haven’t yet watched to browse the growing archive available on YouTube. “You’ll be blown away,” he continues.
It’s not just about giving under-the-radar boxers a chance to shine on a bigger platform, as longtime world heavyweight contender and 2012 Olympian Michael Hunter was among the more notable names also featuring in competition last year.
Cooper names Kevin ‘Thunderstorm’ Johnson as a talent primed for season two who has already caught the eye, having gone viral sparring the likes of Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia – the latter two tabbed to box on April 20 in New York.
The 31-year-old will represent the Las Vegas Hustle team this time around and Cooper believes New York has the country’s best fighters, as their TCL trophy can attest. World champion boxing coach Manny Robles and others will disagree.
“It’s here to stay, I can see us growing really big and it’ll start with people like you Mosope, giving us the coverage to your audience. Quick action, every matchup is different, we’ll have two teams opening up in the UK and Canada for season three… don’t think we’ll disappear into oblivion,” he tells me.
As a mixed gender format with both involved in the same teams, it’s been confirmed they’re in positive talks with multiple commissions hopeful women’s boxing bouts can be changed to three-minute rounds just like their male counterparts.
He describes even having to do so as asinine, at a time where more world champions are taking matters into their own hands – Amanda Serrano a recent example.
What is Team Combat League?
It’s a team-based boxing competition where boxers represent a US state – five on the West Coast, seven on the East – across eight weight classes: six male and two female.
Last season, it was contested over 18 three-minute rounds. The next one, launching on March 28, features an expanded set of 24 with 16 fighters per team appearing in a single match. Individual rounds are scored by a three-judge panel and the team with the highest total score at the end wins that matchup. Read more on it here…
A lot has changed since our last chat in October…
- If it makes sense, why not? Cooper says Ngannou open to future Deontay Wilder showdown, as has been rumoured over recent years to no avail
- Barring no injuries, Ngannou expected to stay active with PFL debut over the summer or early autumn against heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira after his Ryan Bader R1 KO on PFL vs. Bellator card last month — but no internal pressure from his team about return timeline
- Watch carefully: Cooper adamant Ngannou getting better all the time in the boxing gym, Joshua in for a nasty surprise on Saudi return this Friday
LAST time we spoke was just outside the ring after Francis Ngannou’s spirited display in a disputed 10-round decision defeat by WBC champion Tyson Fury.
He smiles as I rewind back to that October night in Riyadh, aware another big one is upon us rather soon. In terms of navigating through the noise and deciding what was next, how did Francis and the team bide their time waiting for this shot to arise?
“The aftermath was immense, a lot of people wanted to talk to us – flavour of the month – it’s been exciting but we weren’t waiting for anything, knew Francis would fight in the first quarter of 2024, just not sure who against.
Wilder being upset by Parker opened up a huge lane Francis drove straight into, valet parked his car and now we’re fighting March 8. We started Riyadh season, now we’re closing it out… it’s only right!”
Speaking of the Bronze Bomber, who quickly rubbished retirement rumours by dismissing his poor display as nothing more than that, Cooper wasn’t surprised by the outcome or how it unfolded given Parker’s own world-class pedigree.
“I knew he’d be ready [for the challenge] given his body of work, had a few losses and tough fights but remains a real threat and Wilder wasn’t sharp, so paid for it. Parker perservered and will be a danger to many in the division.”
That’s a perfect segue for this week’s co-main event, also at heavyweight between Joe Joyce’s conqueror Zhilei Zhang and Parker for the former’s WBO interim strap.
Asked how this one would go and pushed for a prediction, he said…
“Hell of a fight! Zhang is the division’s wildcard, an Olympic medallist with a lot of power, starched Joyce twice – a man on the precipice of championship stardom – he’s the real deal, getting older but age doesn’t kick in until 43 or 44, it’s Parker’s toughest test – even more so than Joshua – I’m taking Zhang.
It’ll be tough and competitive, Parker winning the early rounds but the strength, determination and power of the Chinese will edge it – if he doesn’t stop him, he’ll score a knockdown and earn a close competitive decision.”
Fury-Usyk prediction, preview
When asked for his Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk preview and prediction, Dewey was undecided despite having his own personal reasons to root for the WBC titlist.
“Who can solve the skills, speed and energy levels of Usyk? The pace, boxing skills, athleticism, that Ukrainian heart and strong-focused mind is hard to beat. I’m biased as hell and want to see Fury-Ngannou 2 for undisputed later this year but Fury must be ready here, otherwise he’s going to get outboxed.
He’s going to have to come tenacious, be dirty with elbows and punches to the hip, clinching and punching his arms like fighters from the 1950s and 60s, make him uncomfortable and utilise that huge size advantage to make it rough – otherwise Usyk wins, slipping and sliding past him in a 12-round decision.
I hope the old Fury comes back to overwhelm him but deep down, I see Usyk UD to become undisputed in a second weight division.”
Studying Joshua, familiar sparring partners and adapting
Context for this next question… Cooper has said repeatedly during recent interviews that Joshua’s R5 TKO win over Otto Wallin on Dec. 23 was one borne out of comfortability, having boxed the Swede twice during their amateur days while also previously using him as a sparring partner.
He told CBS Sports’ Luke Thomas that Ngannou would have ‘proper sparring’ for this camp, as opposed to the Fury matchup, so…
Mosope: I just want to understand a bit better, how the dynamic when it comes to sparring partners, having people you haven’t experienced before, new looks and learning their tendencies. How important is that for the biggest fight of one’s career?
Dewey: On the subject of Joshua-Wallin, I don’t disrespect or downplay guys’ achievements unless they do the same to me.
Joshua looked good in 2023 but was exceptional against Wallin, so I put an asterisk beside that win because it was against a familar foe – not just on amateur fights – they sparred together and when you do that, you’re naturally more comfortable.
When you spar someone 3-5 or more times, the guys know who’s winning. If they sparred twice a week for six weeks, let’s say Joshua beat him nine times. At the end of the day, you know he’s better than you.
Your careers go on different paths and merge at some stage, fine, but it’s hard to then go and turn [having that psychological edge] it off.
Joshua was very comfortable from the offset, Wallin was apprehensive like I’ve never seen before. Otto was all over Fury and super aggressive during that fight, I was there ringside in Las Vegas that night.
My fighter BJ Flores, we were scheduled to fight Wallin eight months before the Fury bout. That matchup was cancelled three hours before ringwalks… but we did the whole fight week prep, I know how he is and he looked fragile here.
His coaches looked like they knew what was going to happen, they pulled him because they’ve seen it before in training.
MO: Fair enough. Francis must stay away from Joshua’s right-hand, granted, but without wanting to give too much away… can you share another component of Joshua’s game – besides the power – that Ngannou needs to be mindful of?
DC: Listen, we’re not discounting AJ… we see how he puts the left hook behind it and has a powerful jab too but someone’s gonna fold in this fight. Ngannou is on a mission and has the self-belief to fare even better than the Fury fight, so we’ll see.
Francis has exercised mental fortitude his entire life, from Cameroon and travelling through the continent, being homeless in France, to becoming UFC champion and defending his title on one leg… Mosope, you know the story, I don’t need to say it!
MO: I do know, and his inspirational journey hasn’t yet finished. Back on the topic of sparring partners… what I was trying to say was-
DC: You good! It was a good question but I tried to deflect it, I don’t like giving up too much camp info but what I will say… we have tremendous sparring partners, this is only his second boxing fight so we have a big learning curve to overcome.
He’s getting better every week, being pushed – everything is for a purpose – the guys’ combined record in camp is 40-something victories to one defeat. We didn’t bring any soft easy work guys, brought monsters who don’t know how to lose. Joshua has momentum, swagger in his career again, looking like he did before Ruiz 1.
Gameplans on the fly
MO: You just touched on the first Ruiz fight, I want to talk about the rematch in Diriyah six months later. Maybe Fury underestimated Ngannou, thinking he’d just carry him along like Dereck Chisora during their trilogy two years ago…
Ngannou exceeded expectations but Joshua knows what’s at stake, the main goal is undisputed and the way he boxed was risk-averse but effective to keep Ruiz at distance while jabbing and moving. Fury had to come to Ngannou, what adjustments would be made here? Are plans in place for that, with educated pressure?
DC: Let me tell you something. There’s always a plan for a plan, for a plan. We’ll make adjustments in real-time, whatever philosophy or tactic he employs, we’ll counter.
We didn’t bring three triplets into camp, we’ve got different styles and great guys. Whatever he does on fight night, Francis will have to adjust accordingly but I can guarantee you now, he won’t be the back foot fighter he was in that Ruiz rematch.
He was just embarrassed by Ruiz, who everyone was ridiculing as a fat man before they realised he was actually a top heavyweight – Joshua won every round and dropped him, but got careless the first time around trying to stop the fight.
If he keeps his hands up, we’re not talking about any of that and he’d still have been king of the world. He made a costly mistake but naturally you’ll fight cautiously immediately after that, plus now he has the Tyson Fury pressure on him.
Outdo what Fury did. I’m expecting him not to go into boxing mode, he’ll look to put the exclamation point on his performance, he has to [do better than Fury] and come to fight. You’re gonna see an exciting fight, I’m willing to bet my life on it. I shouldn’t say that, because now he might switch it up, but honestly… we’re ready for anything.
That’s what training camp is for! We’re all happy with Francis and March 8, I’m tremendously confident. Joshua is chasing undisputed but also Fury in that same vein, wants to be the country’s king and there can only be one. Right now, that’s Fury.
Boxing training benefits, Ciryl Gane and the UFC landscape
MO: I spoke to Francis at the inaugural Fury presser about his knee, how he’s felt recovering from the injury, not worrying too much because he doesn’t have to do MMA training – more stress on those joints and a slower-paced art – is boxing helping the other discipline or, after this fight, you must build back that muscle memory?
DC: Boxing training is helping him and his knee, sure. You said it’s faster-paced than MMA and that’s true, it’s good it can help strengthen him more — anaerobic stuff, plyometrics, running — faster and sharper.
Boxing you’ve just got to be an expert with two weapons… [your hands]. MMA you need a lot more intangibles, boxing is a reflex, I’ve done all three so can say it. 25 boxing bouts, 82 in kickboxing, 4 MMA fights, I definitely know the difference!
He’ll need time to transition, get the grappling conditioning, static muscle of grappling, wall-wrestling, defending takedowns, athletic training now will make him more agile on his return. A more improved Francis? Even more scary to think about.
Back to that knee briefly: Me and Eric [Nicksick] begged him not to take that Gane fight, it was only me sparring him in those last three weeks – no training partners – because we were worried they’d leak his injury.
That dogged belief is why he felt he could take on a world champion in his boxing debut and shock the world… two judges ruined the most storied night in history, one had it right but the public spoke and March 8, Joshua has a body of work to study – just one fight – as I’ve said, I expect Ngannou to emerge victorious.
MO: It’s been a little while since Francis departed the promotion, you spoke about Gane a little bit there, what are your thoughts on how the division has been since?
Despite some pushback they’re clearly trying to push Jones vs. Stipe Miocic when Jon is back healthy, Tom Aspinall is a disgruntled interim champ, Gane finds himself a little bit in limbo now… how do you feel about the landscape?
DC: One thing about that company is they’re about keeping it moving, if you’re not then you’re not improving. Gane just fought against Sergey Spivac, I was there in Paris after the Jones debacle, hopefully he can keep getting better.
Ciryl’s a nice guy, no malice there, we support him. If Francis isn’t there, hopefully Gane gets the strap – Aspinall is a problem but don’t forget about Stipe!
He’s still the real deal, I’m interested in seeing that [Jones-Miocic] fight and go from there but I definitely hope Gane holds gold sometime soon.
Gane isn’t getting any younger – 34 next month – and has been openly called out by Aspinall as well as Jailton Almeida, who faces Curtis Blaydes at UFC 299 on Saturday.
Speaking of Blaydes, the longtime contender is right to talk about his unfinished business with the interim champion after a freak knee injury seconds into their July 2022 main event saw them go in different directions. Time will tell.
Knockout Chaos card in full, is as follows
12 rounds unless stated
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou, 10 rounds
Zhilei Zhang (c) vs. Joseph Parker for WBO interim world heavyweight title
Rey Vargas (c) vs. Nick Ball for WBC world featherweight title
Israil Madrimov vs. Magomed Kurbanov for vacant WBA world light-middleweight title
Lightweight: Mark Chamberlain vs. Gavin Gwynne
10 rounds
Heavy: Justis Huni vs. Kevin Lerena
Light-middle: Jack McGann vs. Louis Greene
8 rounds: Andrii Novytskyi vs. Juan Torres
6 rounds: Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Christian Lopez Flores, light-welterweight
4 rounds: Roman Fury vs. Martin Svarc at heavyweight
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes procured by me unless hyperlinked
Exclusive interview conducted at the end of January
Mo and Sports 