Joshua-Ngannou Weigh-In: Clash of Titans

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou come face to face during the official weigh-in on the eve of their boxing clash in Saudi Arabia.

Francis Ngannou once toiled in a sand mine, scavenged for food to avoid starvation and slept rough in a car park, so facing former two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is just another stop on his epic rags-to-riches journey.

"I've had a lot of experience in life," the softly-spoken Cameroon-born fighter says with characteristic understatement.

"I've built my fighting spirit as high as anyone else."

In 2012, at the age of 26 and fired by dreams of becoming a professional boxer, Ngannou, now boasting a towering physique carved from his brutal work in the sand pits, made a break for Europe and a better life.

Despite an early fascination with Mike Tyson, Ngannou graduated towards Mixed Martial Arts and in 2021 became the UFC world heavyweight champion.

Many scoffed when he opted to make his boxing debut against world champion Tyson Fury in the so-called "Battle of the Baddest" in October last year.

The doubters were silenced, however, when Ngannou sent Fury to the canvas in the third round before losing only on a controversial split decision.

His reputation and bank balance soared. He was paid $10 million for his night's work, a windfall which has helped the once shoeless Cameroonian purchase a luxurious home in Las Vegas.

He will return to Riyadh to face 34-year-old Joshua whose career could be fatally halted if he loses.

Joshua, a former unified WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion, comes into a 10-round fight on the back of three successive wins.

Before that, however, he lost back-to-back fights with Oleksandr Usyk who will fight Fury for the undisputed heavyweight title in Saudi in May.