Francis Ngannou weighed in at a very solid, athletic-looking 272.6 lbs, while the Herculean, bodybuilder-esque Anthony Joshua scaled in at 252.4 lbs during Thursday’s weigh-in for their ten-round main event contest on DAZN PPV at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Weigh-in results
Anthony Joshua – 252.4lbs
Francis Ngannou – 272.6lbs
During the face-off, Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) appeared nervous, trying his best to intimidate Ngannou (0-1), who looked like he wanted to take him to the ground and start pounding him.
In the last seconds of the face-off, Ngannou started moving his upper body from side to side as if he were looking for an angle to punch Joshua or tackle him.
Ngannou had a predator-like look to him, like he was standing in front of his prey. Joshua had scary eyes during that last instance as if it finally dawned on him what he was up against. The flicker of fear in AJ’s eyes was difficult to ignore, as he clearly looked worried, finally realizing what he was facing on Friday.
Ngannou’s Mindset: The Underdog Ready to Strike
“It’s the same mindset. Obviously, I’ve learned a little bit from the last fight and the last camp, so I get a little bit of experience, but my mindset is the same,” said Francis Ngannou to the DAZN Boxing YouTube channel, when asked what’s different with him for his fight against Anthony Joshua than in his debut clash against Tyson Fury last October.
“This is just my second boxing match. Even though I’m taking on the second-best guy in the world, it’s still my second boxing match. My mindset is still the same. I’m the underdog, and I’m going out to prove that you can be an underdog and make it and stand my ground,” Ngannou continued.
“I just laugh a little because I think we’re just doing a boxing match under their rules. I think, ‘What if we were fighting under MMA rules.’ My official prediction is to leave the ring with a victory,” said Ngannou.