A former rival of Anthony Joshua has weighed in on his controversial heavyweight clash against Jake Paul.
The 36-year-old from England is yet to make a comeback to the sport since he suffered the fourth defeat of his career to former IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
As for Paul, the 28-year-old from Phoenix returned to action on June 28 when he defeated Mexico’s Julio Cesar Chavez Jr via unanimous decision at the conclusion of their cruiserweight bout in California.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Ngannou said that whilst he was ‘surprised’ to see the showdown between Joshua and Paul announced, he says he is ‘excited’ for the controversial meeting between the pair.
“I’m curious to see it. I’m excited to see that fight actually. Because even now like it’s quite surprising right? He has his reason [to face Paul]. I’m sure he has his reason but again, I’m looking forward to that fight.”
Joshua appears to be in good spirits heading into the bout as he looks to mark his return to action with a destructive knockout win over the Paul, who also seems to be full of confidence going into what is unquestionably the toughest test of his boxing career.
