Anthony Joshua 'getting bullied' as fears raised after Francis Ngannou weighs in 20lbs more than opponent

Anthony Joshua 'getting bullied' as fears raised after Francis Ngannou weighs in 20lbs more than opponent

WATCH NOW: Tyson Fury greets Francis Ngannou before Anthony Joshua fight

Lewis Winter

By Lewis Winter


Published: 07/03/2024

- 17:50

Ngannou will go into the fight much heavier than his British opponent

Boxing fans fear for Anthony Joshua after Francis Ngannou weighed in at more than 20lbs heavier than his opponent on Thursday.

The pair will battle it out in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday knowing that the winner could be in line to face either Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk in the future.


Joshua is the strong favourite to come out victorious as he steps into the ring for the fourth time in the space of 11 months.

But Ngannou showed on his professional boxing debut against Fury that he is no mug, almost pulling off a huge upset after flooring the Gypsy King.

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou weighed in ahead of their fight on Thursday

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Ngannou has been in a bullish mood this week and is convinced that he can knock the former Olympic champion out.

The trash talk is almost over and the weigh-in has now been completed in front of a huge atmosphere in Boulevard World.

Joshua weighed in at 252.4lbs, slightly heavier than the 251lbs he was for his last fight against Otto Wallin in December.

But Ngannou came in over 20lbs more at 272.6lbs, also slightly heavier than when he fought Fury.

And fans on social media straight away predicted a difficult night ahead for Joshua due to the weight difference.

One user on X wrote: "Joshua getting bullied." While another put: "Ngannou smokes AJ."

A third user posted: "20lbs difference lmaooooo."

Many fans are convinced that Ngannou will pull off a huge surprise and beat Joshua.

One wrote: "AJ could be set for a beating. It’d be so funny if Ngannou went out there and just battered Joshua."

While another put: "Francis with the upset of the year. He should be fighting Usyk right now and AJ and Fury should be fighting to fight winner of Usyk/Francis."

And one more thought Joshua looked worried, writing: "Why does AJ look terrified."

Joshua still has his supporters though, with one posting: "If AJ boxes like he did against Wallin like a man possessed he stops Francis in 3-4 rounds he looked incredible."

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Francis Ngannou

Francis Ngannou weighed in 20lbs heavier than Anthony Joshua ahead of the fight

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Joshua has been attempting to get his heavyweight career back on track following successive defeats to Usyk in 2021 and 2022.

He is confident he will make it four wins in a row against Ngannou.

Joshua said at the weigh-in: "Official prediction? What we saying? I deliver, I'm the postman."

But Ngannou said this week that if he hits Joshua with his best shot, he can win.

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou will battle it out in Riyadh on Friday

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The Cameroon-born star told Sky Sports: "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 game."

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