Scared Thierry Henry reveals chilling message Francis Ngannou sent over his intentions for Anthony Joshua

Thierry Henry got a bit of a scare when big Francis Ngannou sent him a cheeky message.

Ex-UFC star Ngannou will step into a professional boxing ring for only the second time tomorrow night when he takes on former two-time unified heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua on Friday night in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh. In his first contest back in October, he suffered a controversial points defeat to WBC title holder Tyson Fury, despite knocking the Gypsy King down in the third round.

In the build-up to the huge fight, Ngannou appeared on Sky Sports' ahead of Arsenal's trip to face Sheffield United later that night, where former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher and Arsenal legend Henry joined presenter Dave Jones in the studio for the live coverage. Asked to send a message to two-time Premier League winner Henry, Ngannou jokingly said: "Hey Titi, I hope you are doing well and I hope Anthony Joshua is not your friend. Because I'm going after him on Friday night. Salut, mon pote (Hi, buddy)."

France U21 manager Henry went along with the gag but admitted he was taken aback by Ngannou's presence on screen. After being shown the clip he said: "Hey, I was scared then. I mean they asked him a question about what he is going to do to (Anthony) Joshua and he says 'I'm going to take his soul'. Who says that?

"He's a great guy though his story is outstanding. He has come a long way."

Friday's showdown with Joshua will be another huge step on Ngannou's incredible rise from a tough upbringing in Cameroon to global stardom in combat sport. 'The Predator' worked in the sand mines of Cameroon from the age of 10 before taking a leap of faith by moving to France in search of a better life.

His remarkable 14-month journey to Europe