Anthony Joshua is confident heading into his much-anticipated fight this Friday night against the powerful Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) has studied Ngannous’ fighting style well, and has a good idea what to expect from the former UFC heavyweight champion in their 10-round clash on DAZN PPV.
AJ has packed on extra muscle for this fight to help him contend with the size of the 270+ lb Ngannou (0-1) in this clash.
Joshua will likely come into the fight in the mid-250s, which is as high a weight as he’s been in the pro ranks. If AJ weighs 260 lbs, it’ll be interesting to see how the extra weight affects his performance.
Could Joshua have more power weighing that heavy or will it slow him down, making him more robotic than usual, and causing him to tire quickly?
Ready for War
“I’m feeling 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,” said Anthony Joshua to Sky Sports Boxing, talking about his fight this Friday night against Francis Ngannou.
Joshua has been gunshy when facing quality opposition since his loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019. In AJ’s last two contests against journeymen Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin, he showed agressiveness, but those weren’t high-level fighter that he had to worry about being cautiousness.
Helenius had been knocked out in the first round in his previous bout, and Wallin was just a shell of the fighter who had given Tyson Fury problems in 2019.
“I look at what my opponent brings to me, I think, ‘How can I overcome the challenges they present,’ and I work really hard to up my game, and I’m looking forward to showcasing what I’ve worked on.
“I Know Where the Punches Come From”
“I know where the jab comes from, I know where the hooks come from, I know where the body shots come from, and I know where the right hands come from,” said Joshua.
Even if Joshua does know whether the punches are coming from, Ngannou is a counter puncher, meaning that he’s going to take advantage of the shots that AJ throws. Joshua won’t be able to avoid getting hit by Ngannou, and if his chin hasn’t improved since his knockout loss to Ruiz, he won’t last long on Friday night.
“So, I’ll be ready for the shots that come my way, and he has to be ready for the shots that come his way because I’m obviously a man that’s going to be standing in front of him bringing him a lot of hell and problems as well,” said Joshua about Ngannou.
