08 March 2024 , 07:04
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Anthony Joshua took more than a year to drag himself out of the wilderness - but has warned Francis Ngannou he is back to his best.
Joshua lost his heavyweight world titles to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and another defeat in their rematch left his dream of becoming undisputed champion in tatters. The Brit stormed to his dressing room beaten, bruised and broken after dumping his rival's belts out of the ring in a frustrated outpouring of grief.
But comeback wins over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin last year, coupled with hooking up with Tyson Fury's ex-trainer Ben Davison, have propelled Joshua back into world title contention. A win over former UFC champion Ngannou in Saudi Arabia tonight could see him face the winner of Usyk's rescheduled clash with Fury for all four belts.
And Joshua, 34, admitted he has only recently moved on from the worst night of his career. "I was in a bad place - not a bad place, a bad moment," he said. "I had put so much into becoming undisputed. I was working towards that and I just fell short. The feeling was not good and I had to pick myself back up again.
"I changed trainer after that and had a mix-and-match of everything going on. It took me about a year-and-a-bit to smooth things out and now we are just getting back to basics again. I felt back to normal against Wallin; I had 10 days off and then got back into fight mode."
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Joshua weighed in 20lb lighter than Ngannou last night as he attempts to go one better than Fury and stop the ex-UFC fighter. Fury was dropped by Ngannou in the third round before recovering to win a disputed points decision. And Joshua added: "Sometimes when you bow your head and make prayers, miracles do happen, that is all I can say – God is working in my favour. Official prediction…? I deliver – I am the postman."
Ngannou feels he can once again make the most of his underdog tag to prove doubters wrong. "I have learnt a little bit from the last fight, the last camp, and leading up to this one, so I get a little bit of experience, but the mindset is still the same," he said. "This is just my second boxing match, even though I am taking on the two best guys in the world in boxing. I am the underdog, I am going out there to prove that you can be an underdog and stand your ground."