Sports

Ahead of ‘Super-Fight’, Joshua, Ngannou talk tough

Published

2 months ago

March 5, 2024

Nigerian-British former heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, and Cameroon’s Francis Ngannou have been talking tough ahead of their upcoming heavyweight clash scheduled for Friday in Saudi Arabia.

While Joshua, a former world heavyweight champion, has
has vowed to take down Ngannou via an early knockout, Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, has also promised to take down the more experienced Joshua.

In an interview on Monday, the 34-year-old Joshua said a
win over Ngannou in the “Super-Fight” will be a statement to other challengers in the future.

“I believe I can knock him out. Definitely. I would love to knock him out and make a statement,” Joshua told Sky Sports.

“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,” Joshua added.

On his part, Ngannou believes he will triumph over the more accomplished Joshua.

“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.

“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,” Ngannou, 37, told journalists upon arriving in Saudi Arabia on Monday.

Related Topics:Anthony Joshua Boxing Featured Francis Ngannou

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Sports

Al Ahly, Esperance to clash in CAF Champions League final

Published

18 hours ago

April 27, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Two of Africa’s club giants, Egypt’s Al Ahly and Esperance of Tunisia, will do battle next month over two legs for the right to be crowned champions of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Title-holders Al Ahly and their long-standing rivals Esperance both booked their places in the final with dramatic semi-final victories over DR Congo”s TP Mazembe and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa respectively on Friday night.

While Al Ahly, winners of five of the last seven editions of the continent’s top draw tournament, with a record 11 in total, overcame TP Mazembe with a 3-0 aggregate victory in the semi-final second leg after a goalless first leg last Saturday, Esperance surprised Sundowns with a 1-0 victory in Pretoria to wrap up a 2-0 aggregate win.

The two-legged final will mark the third encounter between Ahly and Esperance in the Champions League final, with the Egyptians winning in 2012 and the Tunisians triumphing in 2018.

In 2023, the two clubs clashed in the semi-finals with Ahly emerging victorious home and away, securing a 4-0 aggregate triumph.

Esperance who are aiming for a fifth Champions League title, will host the first leg in Rades on May 18, with the return fixture scheduled in Cairo seven days later.

Sports

Former Zambian captain Rainford Kalaba discharged from hospital after near-fatal accident

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Former Zambian national team captain, Rainford Kalaba, has been discharged from hospital weeks after he was involved in a near-fatal accident where he sustained serious injuries.

The accident which involved a head-on collision between a Mercedes-Benz car in which Kalaba was in, and a truck, had initially sparked fears for his life and has since been in the Intensive Care Unit of the Zambian University Teaching Hospital (UTH).

The good news on the footballer’s progress was released by the UTH Public Relations Officer, Nzeba Chanda, who informed that the Chipolopolo legend has been discharged after showing positive signs of recovery.

“Mr. Rainford Kalaba has been discharged from the UTH-Adult where he was admitted after being involved in a road traffic accident two weeks ago,” Chanda said, adding that Kalaba will continue his recovery at his family home.

According to local media reports, the 37-year-old was a passenger in a Mercedes Benz when it collided with an oncoming truck in the south-eastern Zambian town of Kafue a week and five days ago.

In his active playing days, Kalaba spent the majority of his club career at TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo, winning the CAF Champions League with the club in 2015 and the CAF Confederation Cup in 2016.

He also had a spell with clubsides in Portugal including FC Braga, and was a major part of the Zambian squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012 under Frenchman, Herve Renard.