Fans held spellbound as fighters clash in

In what will be a fourth clash in sports between Nigeria and Cameroon in 2024, British-Nigerian Anthony Joshua is set to battle the formidable Cameroonian-born Francis Ngannou on the main event of the ‘Knockout Chaos’ card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday (today), PETER AKINBO writes

The first clash between Nigeria and Cameroon in 2024 was in handball, when Nigeria, on January 26, defeated Cameroon 33-25 to emerge champions of the President’s Cup, a continental handball competition.

The next clash is probably the one which garnered the most attention among fans and citizens of both nations as it came in the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 in Ivory Coast on January 27.

Two goals from Ademola Lookman ensured the Super Eagles won the game 2-0 in a superior performance over archrivals Indomitable Lions.

In the most recent meeting between both countries on February 26, Nigeria won once again, this time in the Olympic qualifiers against the Cameroonians. The Falcons edged the Lionesses 1-0 on aggregate in the third round of the qualifiers to edge closer to a ticket to the Paris Games.

Now, on Friday (today) night (11:30pm Nigerian time), two boxers of Nigerian and Cameroonian descent will face-off once again as Anthony                                                                             Joshua and Francis Ngannou take to the ring at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh and Nigerian fans will be keen on continuing the winning streak over their eastern neigbours.

After the Super Eagles defeated the Lions in Ivory Coast, some Cameroonians took to social media saying Joshua will pay for the Eagles win when heclashes with Ngannou.

Jude Asahmbom III warned on Facebook, “It is Anthony Joshua that will suffer the consequences.”

Another Cameroonian Beardedzz posted, “Let Anthony Joshua just prepare himself to end up at a Hospital. Ngannou will unleash our anger on him.”

Trust Nigerians, they gave it back to their neighbours in equal folds.

An X user, Sports Doctor said, “Anthony Joshua, this fight is now more than just your fight, it’s ‘Nigeria vs Cameroon’ part 2. No gree for Francis Ngannou oooh.”

Now that the D-day is here, fans from both countries will be glued to their screens when both men step in for the highly-anticipated bout.

In the first half of 2023, Joshua repeatedly dismissed the prospect of facing Ngannou, viewing him purely as a legendary UFC heavyweight champion, yet not someone who could ever challenge any of the top names in boxing.

That view ended as soon as Ngannou dropped Fury in the third round of their bout in October. It was a punch that momentarily shocked the world before Fury did what was required to win on points.

After that bout, however, the Cameroonian earned appraisal as a bona fide threat to boxing’s heavyweight division.

Joshua will be keen to put on a show at the Kingdom Arena for the second time in the space of 10 weeks.

His last opponent on December 23, Otto Wallin, had been expected to provide Joshua with a tricky test, but the 34-year-old was at his composed ruthless best, quickly removing the pre-bout belief that Wallin had showed as he raced to a fourth-round KO win.

This was Joshua’s third win of 2023 as he returned to the top of the heavyweight rankings behind only champions Oleksandr Usyk and Fury.

Ngannou will be a completely different beast due to his power, toughness and sheer size and Joshua has promised that he will not underestimate the Cameroonian.

“He’s been boxing. His first dream was to be a boxer, which people forget. I know what I am up against; I look at all of these small details. I spar; I do my film study, all that type of stuff,” he said.

However, Joshua still wants to make a statement with a knockout.

“I believe I can knock him out,” Joshua exclusively told Sky Sports. “Definitely. I would love to knock him out and make a statement.

“Physically I feel strong, feeling good. Strong enough to get the job done and mentally I’m in a place where I’m ready for war. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Ngannou, who now has the experience of fighting a top boxer, believes his strong showing in his pro boxing debut against Fury has given him confidence.

“I feel confident enough, based on my training, the hard work that I put in, it (fight against Fury) was a good experience and it definitely guided me better to have proper training.

“Every space I have open, I am going to hit … I am not going to leave any stone unturned and any opportunity unexplored,” the former UFC heavyweight champion said.

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya shared his thoughts on the boxing bout between his friend Ngannou and his compatriot Joshua.

He said, “Joshua can box, he’s a master at it, but I know how Francis fights.

“Ngannou knows how to make a great fight. He showed in his last fight in the ring that he can beat, if not the best, then one of the best boxers of this generation or ever. It’s not my place to pick a winner but I have a strange feeling that you can’t blink in this fight.”

Interim NBF president Azania Omo-Agege is confident of a Joshua win as he trusts his technical ability over power punches.

“My bet is on Joshua. With the kind of experience Joshua has in boxing, he is sure to win. Ngannou is hoping his power punch knocks out Joshua but it’s all about technical ability, which makes Joshua have the advantage,” Omo-Agege told our correspondent.

A Nigerian combats sports lover, Adeolu Sangobowale, believes anything can happen in a heavyweight bout but expects Joshua to win.

“I think Joshua wins, but they are heavyweights and so anything can happen.

“Joshua just has to outbox and outmaneuver him and avoid his right hand, same as Usyk did to him. He should box first and look for the knockout second because Ngannou’s reach will be a problem.”