Sports

Joshua, Ngannou throw ‘friendly’ banter ahead of super fight

Published

2 months ago

March 8, 2024

Ahead of the much-awaited “Super Fight” between Nigerian-born British boxer, Anthony Joshua, and his Cameroonian challenger, Francis Ngannou, the two pugilists engaged each other in a friendly banter during a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the big fight will hold at the Kingdom Arena on Friday night.

While engaging in the pre-fight conference which is often full of hard words, Ngannou, a former UFC mixed martial arts heavyweight champion, boasted that he would beat the much accomplished Joshua, a former world heavyweight champion.

He cited his first ever pro-boxing debut in October last year where he took on British WBC champion, Tyson Fury, and claimed he can go the whole mile against Joshua.

Although he ultimately lost to Fury, Ngannou managed to down him in the third round sending shockwaves through the boxing world.

But for the Joshua fight, Ngannou said this was just the beginning and that much more was to come.

“I’ve been in the factory, building, training, learning. And I think when I really get it, that’s when the world’s going to be shocked,” he joked.

“I’m just working, building, and learning about the sport. You know, the sport that I’ve loved my entire life. I didn’t have the opportunity to really do it and get some experience.”

Ngannou added that he would love to knock out Joshua, a two-time world heavyweight champion in their 10-round fight.

When Joshua took up the mike, he said the fight would afford him the opportunity to reestablish himself as a top contender and said he knows what he is up against in the ring with Ngannou.

“I spar, I do my film study, all that type of stuff, I keep it professional. But on the night is on the night, that’s different. All that text book stuff goes out the window and you’ve just got to be relentless, give your best,” he said.

Joshua, a former unified WBO, WBA, and IBF heavyweight champion, comes into the fight on the back of three successive wins, he is still haunted by his back-to-back losses to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk where he relinquished his belts.

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Sports

Al Ahly, Esperance to clash in CAF Champions League final

Published

4 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

1 day 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.