r showdown between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou may be the ultimate high stakes encounter, but both men have defied incredible odds to even make it into the ring.

Raised on a Watford council estate, Joshua became a household name after winning Gold at London 2012 – yet just two years before he was on remand in jail and facing a crushing 15-year sentence.

He would eventually be let out on an ankle tag, only to end up being charged for cannabis possession in 2011 and handed a 12-month community order before finally turning things around just in time for the Olympics.

Ngannou’s story is even more extraordinary, with the 6ft 4in, 18-stone 37-year-old growing up in poverty in Cameroon before travelling to Europe as an illegal immigrant aged 26. He eventually made it to Paris, where he lived on the streets before a friend referred him to a local gym.

The pair go head to head in Saudi Arabia tonight in what is only Ngannou’s second time in a boxing ring following his narrow and controversial defeat to Tyson Fury via split decision in October.

Anthony Joshua and his beloved mother Yeta, who he says he still lives with in her London home

Francis Ngannou entered Europe illegally after travelling from Cameroon before ending up homeless in Paris

The pair go head to head in a money-spinning heavyweight bout in Saudi Arabia tonight

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou will meet in their much-anticipated fight in Saudi Arabia

Meanwhile, Joshua has been building himself back up following a double defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, with the Brit heading into this bout after successive victories over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin.

READ MORE: Tyson Fury reveals staggering amount Francis Ngannou earned from their Saudi megafight in December

The Watford-born star is the heavy favourite for this crossover fight, but as shown by his rival’s performance against Fury, it is unlikely to be as simple as that.

Being the favourite in a multi-million-pound money spinner marks a remarkable change in fortunes for Joshua, who has overcome many hurdles on the path to stardom.

His sporting talent was always there, and it initially looked like football would be his path of choice before he became a bricklayer.

‘I remember him turning up for about three training sessions under (coach) Richard Smith at the time,’ a former team-mate shared in 2022. ‘He was taller than everyone else, but skinny.

‘He was really athletic and quick, definitely rapid. S𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 wise, he wasn’t amazing, but he was decent. He could go at people.’

Joshua has a rosier-tinted view of his achievements on the pitch, referring to himself as a ’41 goals a season’ striker in his playing days, and remains a committed football fan and player with friends.

Joshua became household name after winning Gold at London 2012 – but just two years before he was in prison

Joshua always looked like he would pursue a career in football before taking up boxing in his late teens

The boxer as a youngster – when he was already proud of his athleticism

By the time Joshua turned 18 in 2007, however, even semi-professional football was off the cards and the fighter was working as a bricklayer while he saw out college.

Joshua was thrust onto the national stage aged 22 when, at London 2012, he won one of Great Britain’s gold medals at the Olympics.

Just a few years before that, though, he had experienced various run-ins with the police. Aged 20, having taken up boxing in his late teens, AJ found himself on remand in Reading prison.

READ MORE – Tyson Fury reveals who he wants to win, Jake Paul thinks the ‘old AJ’ will be too much for the world’s hardest puncher while UFC legend Jon Jones makes a surprise pick

He has been vague about the specifics of why, dubbing it ‘fighting and other crazy stuff’, but the sentence could have been significant and he was facing up to 15 years in jail.

He was let go with the caveat of having to wear an electronic ankle monitor and was handed a chance at boxing success, only to have been pulled over for speeding while donning a Team GB tracksuit in 2011.

A search of his kitbag found eight ounces of cannabis, and he was charged with possession with intent to supply, again finding his career hanging by a thread.

A guilty plea led to a 12-month community order and 100 hours of unpaid work to go with a suspension by the Olympic committee just months out from the home games.

Joshua later attributed the boxing ban and arrest to his success at London 2012, success that launched him to stardom, money, and becoming one of the most well-known sportsmen in the country.

It was his former trainer, Rob McCracken, who got the youngster reinstated in time to compete. The situation ‘forced me to grow up and respect my responsibilities’, Joshua said after his 2012 success.

Nagnnou, meanwhile, faced adversity that wasn’t self-inflicted in quite the same way.

Joshua is looking to continue climbing the rankings and secure his fourth victory in a row

Ngannou, meanwhile, will look to carry on shocking the world having come close to upsetting Tyson Fury last year

His parents divorced when he was just six years old and he held firm to reject the advances of local gangs to offer him support, walking six miles to school before starting work at the age of 12 in a sand quarry – where he earned £1.50 a day.

Inspired by his street fighter father Emmanuel he decided to chase his boxing dream, moving to France from Cameroon as a young adult before taking up boxing as a 22-year-old.

After crossing Africa on a pick-up truck, Nagnnou entered Europe via the Spanish enclave of Melilla in north Africa – known as one of the world’s most heavily fortified borders.

READ MORE – Start time for Anthony Joshua’s mega-fight with Francis Ngannou is revealed… with fans set for a late night as they await the action in Saudi Arabia

At first he tried to climb the six-metre chainlink fences but gave up when his skin was cut by barbed wire. Instead he attempted to cross the Mediterranean in a dinghy, despite not knowing how to skin.

Recalling the experience in a 2022 interview with the Guardian, he said: ‘You’re s****ing’ yourself; you’re scared. You’re going into the ocean with this little boat that people use in swimming pools.’

His attempts to cross in a rubber boat were foiled six times by Moroccan guards before he made it to Spain on the seventh attempt, where after two months in detention he was released due to the lack of an extradition treaty between Spain and Cameroon.

Despite having no official papers and a fake passport, he eventually made it to France, where he slept in a garage.

He slept in a car park for two months with just a sleeping bag, volunteering at a homeless shelter chopping vegetables, and the foundation director of the shelter, Khater Yenbou, introduced him to his gym worker friend Didier Carmont, and it was only up from there.

And so we come full circle. Two extremely different stories, different journeys, but two men who will meet in the middle of a boxing ring this weekend.

For Joshua, it was the usual method. Win the Olympics. Turn pro, rise up the ranks. He secured expected wins before a statement victory against Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley in 2017.

In Ngannou’s first boxing bout against Tyson Fury, he put in a strong performance but narrowly lost

He was then at the top of the tree, and, with Tyson Fury not competing and Oleksandr Usyk yet to join the heavyweight division, the man with a target on his back.

Victories against Carlos Takam, Joseph Parker and Alexander Povetkin followed. It was Andy Ruiz Jr up next in New York, which is when Joshua’s career was turned upside down when he was stopped in round seven.

A rematch victory put him back on track and a mega fight against Usyk saw the Ukrainian win via unanimous decision. The rematch was the biggest fight of Joshua’s career – he again lost.

Since then, Joshua has portrayed somewhat of a different character. Less jokey, more focused. Victories against Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin have followed.

It remains unclear what the goal is. An all-British mega fight against Fury will be a hope until either man retires. Deontay Wilder remains an option despite his loss to Parker. Maybe even a third match against Usyk.

First though he must get past Ngannou. An MMA juggernaut who came arguably the closest anyone has to beating Fury on debut.

Ngannou has been romantically linked to MMA star Miesha Tate, but nothing is confirmed

Joshua is often seen enjoying lavish holidays in Dubai and relaxing with his entourage

Despite wanting to be a boxer, Nagnnou trained at the MMA Factory and made his debut in the sport in 2013 just three months after starting training. In early 2014 he had won his first heavyweight tournament, joining the UFC in 2015.

It was there he ran riot, securing six straight victories before losing his heavyweight championship opportunity against Stipe Miocic in 2018.

Re-climbing the division, however, he knocked out the very same man in 2021 to win the belt, defending it against Ciryl Gane and finding himself on top of the sport.

When his contract expired in January 2023, he was stripped of his title after the two parties failed to reach an agreement on a new deal, and he turned to boxing.