The mind games have already started ahead of Saturday’s [AEDT] blockbuster heavyweight fight between Francis Ngannou and Anthony Joshua.
While Joshua may be the runaway favourite to have his hand raised, Ngannou said the boxing superstar is looking “nervous” ahead of their bout in Saudi Arabia.
BOXING: Joshua v Ngannou | SAT 9 MAR | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
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“We were doing the promo and he was very chilled, very relaxed,” Ngannou told reporters at a workout on Tuesday.
“I asked him if he was OK, because he looked a little nervous or something. I asked him if he was OK, because I was OK. I had no problems. I was just talking around, laughing.
“I think we are both professional enough to know what we have to do to get to where we want to go.”
If there is anyone who should be nervous it is Ngannou, who is set to enter the ring for just his second professional fight having previously carved out a career for himself in the UFC.
But on the other hand, there is no real pressure on Ngannou as a result, even after he dropped Tyson Fury last year in a fight that he ended up losing on points in contentious circumstances.
Rather, Joshua is the one with everything to lose as he targets a possible world title fight against Filip Hrgovic.
Alternatively, he could also face off against the winner of the fight between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in May. A loss to Ngannou though could quickly change things.
Read on for an ultimate guide ahead of Saturday’s card, including the latest news lines, how you can watch the fights and what time to expect Ngannou and Joshua making their ring walks!
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NGANNOU’S POWER PREDICTED TO BE TOO MUCH FOR JOSHUA
While Fury was able to get up after Ngannou scored a knockdown in their fight, the 37-year-old’s coach is confident Joshua will be down for the count if he gets caught on Saturday.
Appearing on The MMA Hour, Dewey Cooper predicted Ngannou will score a knockout win on the weekend, claiming Fury is “definitely more durable” and may even have the “better chin”.
“Tyson Fury may go down, but he gets up,” Cooper said.
“He’s been dropped in numerous fights, even multiple times, but he gets up and he still fights. We can’t say the same for Joshua.
“… In the heavyweight division, especially with a guy like Francis punching, everyone’s chin is [vulnerable] and can be broken. So I’m not going to say [Joshua is] chinny, it’s just that if he gets hit clean in the heavyweight division, a lot of guys will go down.
“I don’t think he’s necessarily chinny, but does he have the wherewithal, the intestinal fortitude to get up? He did it against [Wladimir] Klitschko, but that’s a 40-year-old Klitschko. “Can he do it against one of these tigers that’s hungry, that’s coming to hit you hard and really do some damage? We’ll see.”
BOXING: Joshua v Ngannou | SAT 9 MAR | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
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Cooper did guarantee that Ngannou is “ready to shock the world again” and he had support from Shaun George, the trainer of Zhilei Zhang, who fights Kiwi Joseph Parker on Saturday.
“Joshua gets stopped,” George told DAZN.
“That’s my opinion. I’m the one to say it — Anthony Joshua gets stopped in this fight.
“Joshua is the better boxer — he should win the fight. I understand why everybody in the boxing world is picking Joshua [to win] and he’s doing it for the sport of boxing.
“But looking at Francis Ngannou — people is [sic] not looking at that he’s actually been in the boxing gym for five years, with Dewey Cooper. Training twice a week, three times a week, even in the gym sparring with other boxers.”
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Speaking of Zhang, he stands in the way of Kiwi Joseph Parker taking back the WBO belt that he lost to Joshua in a heavyweight unification fight back in 2018.
Zhang is the current holder of the WBO interim strap after defeating Joe Joyce twice last year, becoming the mandatory challenger to WBO titleholder Oleksandr Usyk in the process.
Usyk, as mentioned earlier, is now set to face Tyson Fury in an undisputed fight in May, with the rest of the heavyweight division fighting it out for a shot at the winner.
Enter Zhang and Parker on Saturday in a high-stakes showdown.
Parker is in a position to earn his shot at the belt, although complicating matters is the fact Zhang had a clause inserted into their fight agreement which stipulates he will be guaranteed a rematch should he lose.
So far the Chinese beast, who stands at 198 centimetres, has only lost once in his career boasting a 26-1-1 record with 21 knockouts.
He presents a daunting challenge for Parker but one the Kiwi is embracing, confident after his statement victory over Deontay Wilder which improved his record to 34-3 with 23 knockouts.
Elsewhere, unbeaten Australian prospect Justis Huni will look to continue his rapid rise up the heavyweight division when he faces South African Kevin Lerena in a 10-round showdown.
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WHAT TIME DOES THE FIGHT CARD START IN AUSTRALIA?
The preliminary card is expected to get underway at 3am (AEDT) with the main card at around 5.10am while Joshua and Ngannou are expected to make their ring walks at around 9.50am.
HOW TO WATCH
You can catch all the action from the Knockout Chaos card on Saturday morning by ordering NOW with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
FULL FIGHT CARD
Main card: 6pm UK, main event 10.50 uk
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou — heavyweights
Zhilei Zhang vs Joseph Parker — WBO interim heavyweight title
Rey Vargas vs Nick Ball — WBC featherweight title
Israil Madrimov vs. Magomed Kurbanov — vacant WBA super welterweight title
Gavin Gwynne vs. Mark Chamberlain — WBA international lightweight title
Justis Huni vs. Kevin Lerena — heavyweight
Roman Fury vs. Martin Svarc — heavyweight
Prelims: 4pm UK
Jack McGann vs. Louis Green — super welterweight
Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Christian Lopez Flores — super lightweight
Andrii Novytski vs. Juan Torres — heavyweights