By the Numbers: Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua

As Saudi Arabia enters the next phase of its mission to resurrect boxing’s past glory, the stage is set for a collision of heavyweight combat sports stars: Francis Ngannou and Anthony Joshua. The ranked heavyweight boxers are set to headline the “Knockout Chaos” event set to go down on Friday at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. The weight of expectation is heavy on Ngannou’s shoulders following an exemplary showcase against Tyson Fury in his maiden boxing assignment in 2023. Distinguished for his ironclad perseverance, Professional Fighters League's Ngannou will be looking forward to elevating the standard from the last effort against Fury.

Ngannou strides into the ring with an aura of invincibility and pledges in the promotional videos of the fight to test Joshua’s chin. He embraces his role as a harbinger of destruction, evident by the knockdown he landed on Fury in the previous encounter. Meanwhile, Joshua has fine-tuned his tactical skills in his last three fights and injected vigor into his career, rattling off victories over the likes of Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin. He approaches the upcoming clash with a singular focus: Make a resounding statement against Ngannou and lock horns with the Fury-Oleksandr Usyk winner despite a locked-in two-fight deal between them.

With the prelude laid for a battle of brute force and tactical acumen between Ngannou and Joshua, a look at some of the statistical intricacies from their individual sports that offer a more thorough preview of the impending showdown:

12: Ngannou remains tied for the seventh spot on the UFC’s heavyweight wins list with 12.

11: Ngannou still ranks third on the UFC’s heavyweight list for most finishes with 11.

10: Ngannou is second all-time in UFC heavyweight victories by knockout or technical knockout with 10.

6: He currently shares fifth place on the UFC heavyweight leaderboard for the longest winning streak, having secured victory in six consecutive bouts twice in the organization.

11: In 20 professional fights, Ngannou has a record 11 first-round finishes.

41: Ngannou also boasts a 41% striking accuracy, according to UFC stats.

27: Among his 27 professional boxing triumphs, Joshua has clinched 24 victories by way of knockout or technical knockout.

89: Joshua has demonstrated an 89% finish rate in his professional career.

22: Joshua remained undefeated in 22 fights after embarking on his professional journey. A shocking June 2019 defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. ended his unbeaten run.