AJ targets ‘statement’ win and KO glory in heavyweight clash

Joshua is currently on a three-fight winning streak and building back towards being in world title contention, most recently despatching Otto Wallin in a dominant five-round win in December.

AJ is expecting a different test against Ngannou in their non-title contest, having seen the mixed martial arts star push Tyson Fury close in his professional boxing debut last October, although is relishing the opportunity to impress again.

“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.

“Mentally I don’t worry so much about my opponent and look at what my opponent can bring to me and think, ‘how can I overcome these challenges they present?’ I work really hard to up my game and look forward to showing everything I’ve worked on.”

Ngannou: How I can KO Joshua

Ngannou knocked down Fury with a left hook during the third round of his split-decision defeat, with the 37-year-old adamant he has the boxing technique to produce a knockout victory.

“Of course!” Ngannou insisted. “I believe if I land on anyone, I will knock them out. The question is how to land? That’s the hardest thing.

“Almost everyone in this division can knock anyone out, but how do you land or carry that power and energy from first round to fifth round to 10 rounds and still hit someone hard or knock somebody out after all the fatigue? It’s a chess game.”

Responding to Ngannou’s comments about a potential knockout, Joshua added: I’m optimistic and I think, ‘brilliant, I want that’. I want someone in front of me who thinks they can knock me out.

“But let’s see how good they really are. I want to be right in front of them, making it difficult for them to achieve their goal and see how much they really want it.

“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.”