Joshua vows to make statement with victory over Ngannou

Anthony Joshua (left) and Francis Ngannou

Anthony Joshua has vowed to “make a statement” and deliver a knockout victory over Francis Ngannou in Friday’s crossover super-fight in Saudi Arabia, reports Sky Sports.

Joshua is currently on a three-fight winning streak and building back towards being in world title contention, most recently dispatching Otto Wallin in a dominant five-round win in December.

AJ is expecting a different test against Ngannou in their non-title contest, having seen the mixed martial arts star push Tyson Fury close in his professional boxing debut last October, although is relishing the opportunity to impress again.

“I believe I can knock him out,” Joshua exclusively told Sky Sports. “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.”

Ngannou knocked down Fury with a left hook during the third round of his split-decision defeat, with the 37-year-old adamant he has the boxing technique to produce a knockout victory.

“Of course!” Ngannou insisted. “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