Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou squared up for the first time this week ahead of their heavyweight clash.
The knockout artists faced off following a press conference for their highly anticipated boxing match, which takes place Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Joshua and Ngannou remained respectful as they stared each other down, then shook hands before posing for pictures.
Watch the post-press conference faceoff below.
The FIRST face-off of fight week #JoshuaNgannou - Friday pic.twitter.com/QkJuTCOJHn
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) March 6, 2024
The winner of Friday’s bout is expected to challenge the winner of the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk undisputed heavyweight title bout, which takes place on May 18 in Riyadh.
Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) looks to continue his path towards regaining champion status. The former WBA, WBO, and IBF titleholder has won three straight fights since dropping a pair of championship bouts to Usyk.
Ngannou (17-3 in MMA) returns to the ring for his second pro boxing bout after a near-upset of heavyweight star Fury. The former UFC champion scored a thrilling knockdown of Fury in their October 2023 bout, but went on to lose a narrow split decision.
