It’s decision day for Joshua, Ngannou in Saudi Arabia

Joshua (left) and Ngannou came face to face during the weigh-in ahead of today’s heavyweight boxing showdown in Saudi Arabia.

After all the months of boasting and thrash talk, Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou will enter the ring in Saudi Arabia today, to decide who is the better fighter.

For Anthony Joshua, this is uncharted territory, which could ruin his best-laid plans of recapturing his heavyweight boxing titles seized by Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in the same Saudi Arabia, which has become the Mecca of international boxing.

Joshua has gradually been rebuilding his reputation with three straight knockout wins, which has set him up for another shot at the world title. But then came the fight with Ngannou, which AJ reportedly accepted grudgingly because one of his main rivals, Tyson Fury, took the Cameroonian’s bait and passed, albeit with big scars to show for his win.

Followers of the sport believe that Joshua’s corner would be better prepared for Ngannou than Fury, who was knocked down by the hard-hitting former UFC champion before rising to score victory by split decision.

Following a fruitful 2023, Joshua’s confidence and energy levels are once again on the up. While beating the likes of Jermaine Franklin Jr, Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin isn’t exactly sweeping up a murderer’s row of killers, AJ’s killer instinct has returned following previous back-to-back losses that could’ve irreversibly damaged his mental make-up.

Now with Ben Davison and his assembled squad of trainers, AJ has returned to the basics, adding a simplification to his work.

Ngannou says his strong showing in his pro boxing debut against Fury has given him confidence ahead of his bout against Joshua.

The Cameroonian-French fighter (37) almost delivered