RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Anthony Joshua sees Francis Ngannou as one of his peers going into Friday’s boxing match.
After originally dismissing former UFC heavyweight champion’s transition to boxing, Joshua has admittedly changed his tune going into his rapidly approaching 10-round encounter with Ngannou, which takes place at Kingdom Arena (pay-per-view).
“I thought this whole crossover thing wasn’t serious,” Joshua told MMA Junkie on Friday. “If I would’ve taken a crossover fight, people would’ve been like, ‘What the F is Anthony Joshua doing?’ I wouldn’t have been able to walk out of my house. But now people are taking it more seriously because of the last fight (with Tyson Fury). So it helped as well to get me motivated and take the fight, because it gives me a chance to show how great I am.”
