ANTHONY Joshua is confident that he will beat Francis Ngannou tonight when they clash in a heavyweight boxing bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Experienced Nigerian-Briton boxer Joshua is the favourite against the Cameroonian mixed martial arts fighter and former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion Ngannou, who has had only one previous boxing fight.
Although Ngannou is 20 pounds heavier than Joshua, according to last night’s weigh-in, the two-time world heavyweight boxing champion is full of confidence.
“Official prediction? I deliver, I’m the postman,” Joshua said.
The 34-year-old Joshua beat Otto Wallin in Riyadh three months ago and is looking for a fourth win in the space of 11 months.
Ngannou, 37, made his boxing debut last October and almost shocked the world in as he controversially lost on points to World Boxing Council champion Tyson Fury.
“This is just my second boxing match, even though I am taking on the two best guys in the world in boxing,” Ngannou said.
“I am going in there to prove that you can be the underdog and make it and stand my ground.
“Sometimes it makes me laugh a little bit because I know OK, we are going to fight in boxing rules, but what happens if it was fight or MMA rules, I would smoke those guys.”
Joshua, who has held the World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organisation belts in two different spells, has won 27 of his 30 fights, 24 of them via knockout, and lost three.
