Francis Ngannou once toiled in a sand mine, scavenged for food to avoid starvation and slept rough in a parking lot, so facing former two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua today 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 said with characteristic understatement. “I’ve built my fighting spirit as high as anyone else.”
Ngannou has crammed a lot into his 37 years.
Photo: AFP
The child of a single mother, he had to walk 10km to school and from the age of 10 he shoveled sand from open quarries, his meager income helping to buy food and books.
“It was work meant for adults, but we didn’t have any options,” Ngannou said of his back-breaking labors which paid less then US$2 a day.
“Sometimes I didn’t have a pen or a notebook. Sometimes no shoes, my uniform was torn. I looked crappy,” he said. “I didn’t like my life, I felt like I missed my childhood.”
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.
Crammed with others into the back of a pickup truck, he crossed the unforgiving Sahara, traveled through Nigeria, Niger and Algeria before reaching Morocco.
Then, after half a dozen failed attempts, he finally made it over the Mediterranean Sea to Spain, where he was promptly jailed for two months for making an illegal crossing.
Completing a trip of about 5,000km, he took a train to Paris and lived in a parking lot, before local boxing coach Didier Carmont found him a place to live and a gym in which to train.
Despite an early fascination with Mike Tyson, Ngannou graduated toward 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.
However, the doubters were silenced 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 US$10 million for his night’s work, a windfall which has helped the once shoeless Cameroonian purchase a luxurious home in Las Vegas.
Today he returns to Riyadh to face 34-year-old Joshua, whose career could be fatally holed if he loses.
“Of course I can knock Joshua out,” Ngannou said. “I believe if I land on anyone, I will knock them out. The question is how to land? That’s the hardest thing.”
Joshua, a former unified WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion, goes into today’s 10-round fight on the back of three successive wins, but before that he lost back-to-back fights with Oleksandr Usyk, who is to fight Fury for the undisputed heavyweight title in Saudi Arabia in May.
“This Friday it’s going to go down, so I can’t wait for the opportunity to show my skills and combat this person who thinks he can knock me out,” Joshua said of Ngannou. “I believe I can knock him out. Definitely. I would love to knock him out and make a statement. He has to be ready for the shots which are coming his way because I’m a man who will be standing in front of him, bringing him a lot of hell.”
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
After nearly six years away from the NBA, New Taipei Kings player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) is set to participate in the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars mini-tournament as the coach of Team G League. The NBA announced Monday (U.S. time) that the Taiwanese-American player will join a trio of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers – Tim Hardaway Sr., Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond – as honorary coaches for four teams featuring 28 rising talents. "See you soon in the Bay," Lin wrote in an Instagram story sharing the news. As the All-Star Weekend will take place at