Francis Ngannou sparks fear in Thierry Henry with message before Joshua fight

05 March 2024 , 15:09

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Francis Ngannou sparks fear in Thierry Henry with message before Joshua fight

Francis Ngannou left Thierry Henry 'scared' after sending him a threatening message before his fight against Anthony Joshua.

Ex-UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou fights for the second time as a professional boxer when he faces Joshua on Friday in Saudi Arabia. The Cameroonian put on a performance for the ages in his ring debut last October when he dropped Tyson Fury and only lost by a single point in a controversial decision.

Ngannou spoke with Sky Sports Boxing and his message to Henry was played to the French legend before Arsenal's 6-0 thumping of Sheffield United on Monday night. "Hey Titi [Thierry], I hope you are doing well and I hope Anthony Joshua is not your friend because I'm going after him on Friday night. Salut, mon pote [Hello, buddy]," Ngannou said.

Presenter David Jones said of Ngannou's message: "That's a scary laugh by the way." Henry then said: "I was scared then. They are asking him a question about what he's going to do to Joshua and he said 'He's going to take his soul.' Who says that?! He's a great guy though and his story is outstanding by the way."

Ngannou is known for his devastating knockout power and holds the current record for the hardest punch in the world. The 37-year-old has questioned Joshua's resilience ahead of their fight as he doesn't think his rival will be able to get up from the same punch that put Fury on the canvas.

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"Every single fight will always feel different," Ngannou said. "In my opinion, the Tyson Fury one was different. It was the first time and there was a lot of noise.

"Fury is loud and there was a lot of curiosity, even a lot of people including the boxing community didn’t believe it. It’s changed because now people are thinking,’ Ok, this is a normal fight’.

Whilst appearing at the grand arrivals in Riyadh, Joshua said of the showdown: "There’s more than one way to skin a cat, it’s boxing. It’s not a battle for the centre it’s a battle for the win, I’m not fussed where I am in the ring.

As long as I’m in a stance where I can punch, I’m in a good position. I know what I’ve got to do to get the win and all I’ve got to do is worry about myself."

Harry Davies