Anthony Joshua will step into the ring with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou on Friday, March 8. Joshua has returned to form over the last year and will be looking to get the better of Ngannou, who lost a close fight to Tyson Fury on his boxing debut in October. Joshua has said he is aiming for a knockout win, while Ngannou is also confident in his powers ahead of the bout.

Anthony Joshua

Image credit: Getty Images

Anthony Joshua wants to “make a statement” and knock out Francis Ngannou when they face off in Saudi Arabia this week.

Joshua will be looking for a fourth successive victory after beating Otto Wallin last time out on December.

But former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou could pose a tricky test.

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Ngannou impressed on his boxing debut in October as he knocked down WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and only lost via a split decision.

“I believe I can knock him out,” Joshua told Sky Sports ahead of fighting Ngannou on Friday, March 8.

“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.”

Joshua has put himself back in contention for a world title shot after his recent winning streak.

He could be in line to fight the winner of May’s undisputed heavyweight clash between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, a clash which will be live on TNT Sports Box Office.

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But first he will need to get past Ngannou, who believes he has the power to knock out Joshua.

“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, 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.”

Asked about Ngannou’s belief that he could deliver a knockout, 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.

“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.”

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