First they arrive, then they work out.
Fight week continues in Saudi Arabia as Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou prepare for their blockbuster heavyweight boxing pay-per-view (PPV) main event this Friday night (March 8, 2024) on DAZN (stream it here). The winner is likely to top a very short list of eligible title challengers in front of the upcoming championship showdown between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in May.
The winner of this fight may have something to say about that, as well.
“In terms of the word ‘gimmick’ we can get rid of that,” Joshua told Sky Sports. “In terms of the whole crossover aspect of what boxing is, it’s not that Ngannou was a gimmick or [Tyson] Fury was a gimmick, but the whole MMA crossing over into boxing I looked at it as a gimmick, but now I can see that there are certain fighters in the MMA world that can box, and he’s one of them.”
“My mentality is that I’m fighting a talented fighter, like every fight there is massive jeopardy and I’ve got to take it seriously,” Joshua continued. “A lot of people say he won the [Fury] fight and I thought this is a great challenge for me because I need to figure out more about myself, if it’s not a challenge then I am going to stick to what I know best and I’m going to stay in my comfort zone.”
Ngannou, three years older than Joshua at 37, shocked the boxing community with his commanding performance against Tyson Fury last Oct. in Riyadh. The loss established “The Predator” — now listed in the WBC heavyweight rankings — as a major player in the “sweet science” and further delayed his PFL MMA debut.
For much more on Ngannou’s upcoming fight against Joshua in Riyadh click here.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
