Ngannou, who was previously the UFC Heavyweight Champion, recently gave Tyson Fury a run for his money in his professional boxing debut. The fight will take place in Saudi Arabia, where Ngannou has already proven himself as a formidable opponent.
Despite losing to ‘The Gypsy King’ on a split points decision, he managed to knock down his opponent in the third round. This performance earned him a spot in the top 10 of the WBC heavyweight rankings.
Ngannou is feeling confident about his second professional boxing match. He said: “Of course! I believe if I land on anyone, I will knock them out. The question is how to land? That’s the hardest thing.
“Almost everyone in this division can knock anyone out,” he continued, with his confidence brimming. “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.”
These bold words from Ngannou didn’t go down well with his next opponent, who had a sharp reply ready. Speaking to Sky Sports, Joshua said: “I’m optimistic and I think, ‘brilliant, I want that’. I want someone in front of me who thinks they can knock me out.
“But let’s see how good they really are. I want to be right in front of them, making it difficult for them to achieve their goal and see how much they really want it,” he continued. “This Friday it’s going to go down, so I can’t wait for the opportunity to show my skills and combat this person who thinks he can knock me out.”
One thing is certain – Joshua is on a winning streak, having won his last three fights. His stoppage win over Otto Wallin at the end of 2023 was also a clear victory across their five rounds together.
The Brit is clearly feeling confident as his fight with the Cameroonian draws near, and he’s not shy about discussing his physical readiness for the match. The 34-year-old stated: “I believe I can knock him out. Definitely. I would love to knock him out and make a statement.”
Joshua added: “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.”
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