Paulie Malignaggi Claims Anthony Joshua Is More Confident With Ben Davison

Paulie Malignaggi thinks Anthony Joshua is a much better boxer with Ben Davison in his corner.

Joshua is coming off a second-round KO over Francis Ngannou in a statement-making performance after the former UFC champ had success against Tyson Fury. According to Malignaggi, he thinks Joshua is fighting with more confidence ever since Davison joined his corner.

“[Joshua] wasn’t looking as confident until Ben Davison came in. That was, for me, the combination that really did the trick,” Malignaggi told ProBox TV. “It wasn’t just that he beat Wallin, it was how he beat Wallin. And that was how he came in and he dominated this fight.”

Paulie Malignaggi knew Anthony Joshua wanted to make a statement here as all the pressure was on him. But, the Brit made it look easy which was impressive.

“All the pressure’s on Joshua, for boxing – because of the way Fury looked bad, for the fact that Ngannou’s a super-heavy puncher and any shot that lands could be dynamite, no matter what, for guys that are that big,” Malignaggi said. “[Ngannou]’s a better fighter than any MMA fighter that’s come to boxing to do it before, so you’re dealing with pressure, and people are underestimating the pressure Joshua was under, and he did it in a technical way.”

Ultimately, Paulie Malignaggi also thinks people forget Anthony Joshua had power and can KO anyone, so he is glad to see the Brit put Ngannou out cold.

“Joshua walked back up to Ngannou already knowing what Ngannou was going to throw, because a basic fighter only has so many options,” Malignaggi said.  “People forgot about it, [but] Joshua has power, too. It’s not just the technique that’s going to beat him; his power is going to hurt Ngannou. This is a heavyweight that knows how to punch, and he knows how to land that power.”

Were you impressed with Anthony Joshua’s performance?