Anthony Joshua is eyeing a “statement” win over Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on Friday.
Former mixed martial arts champion Ngannou caused a stir last year when he knocked down Tyson Fury only for the WBC champion to hit back and claim a controversial victory on a split decision.
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Joshua, who lost his WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight belts to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in 2021, believes a comprehensive victory this week will set him up nicely for another crack at the world title.
He told Sky Sports: “I believe I can knock him out.
“Definitely. I would love to knock him out and make a statement. Physically I feel strong, feeling good. Strong enough to get the job done and mentally I’m in a place where I’m ready for war. I’m looking forward to the challenge.
“Mentally I don’t worry so much about my opponent and look at what my opponent can bring to me and think, ‘how can I overcome these challenges they present?’ I work really hard to up my game and look forward to showing everything I’ve worked on.”
The best days of my life pic.twitter.com/14a7xJugFl
— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyjoshua) March 4, 2024
Ngannou is still adapting to boxing but he has the raw power to trouble anyone.
“I believe if I land on anyone, I will knock them out,” he said. “The question is how to land? That’s the hardest thing.
“Almost everyone in this division can knock anyone out, but how do you land or carry that power and energy from first round to fifth round to 10 rounds and still hit someone hard or knock somebody out after all the fatigue? It’s a chess game.”
