Terence Crawford, a top pound-for-pound boxer, believes that Francis Ngannou may find success in boxing, but he thinks the MMA lineal heavyweight champion is aiming too high at the moment. For over a year, Ngannou has discussed an interest in participating in a crossover superfight, similar to Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor, with names like Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. However, Ngannou is still trying to find an opponent to sign, which Crawford believes is a good thing for “The Predator.”

According to Crawford, Ngannou is a puncher and does things differently in MMA and calling out the best heavyweights today. Crawford is not the only one thinking that. Several fighters and pundits suggest that Ngannou is ill-prepared to face off with the world’s best heavyweight boxers, and the same would go for them facing him in MMA.

Despite this, Ngannou has not given up on his dream of participating in a marquee boxing match. He has even announced that he will not return to MMA until 2024 while aiming towards his goal. However, Crawford believes that Ngannou is making a mistake by targeting high-level opponents. He suggests that Ngannou should start small and fight some lower-tier boxers to feel out the situation.

Crawford believes that it’s essential to get used to the whole boxing realm, such as skilled opponents coming back at you, before fighting the likes of Wilder or Fury. Crawford warns Ngannou that if he messes up with one of these guys, he’ll be knocked out into next week.

As things stand, Ngannou is a long way off from landing a big boxing match, with Wilder rumored to face Anthony Joshua this year, and Fury is having his own negotiations with Dana White and Jon Jones. Meanwhile, Ngannou, who is 36, is still recovering from knee surgery and hasn’t fought since his unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.