Boxing fans claim 'script has been leaked' for Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou fight

Some boxing fans are claiming that the 'script has been leaked' for the upcoming fight between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou this Friday (8 March).

The pair are due to step into the ring in Riyadh but ahead of their anticipated clash a clip has been doing the rounds showing the pair standing in the ring before punching each other and tumbling back onto crash mats.

This caused a bit of a stir among some boxing fans who feared this was preparation for the 'script' of how the fight was going to go.

Meanwhile, others declared that 'boxing is finished' and complained that there wasn't a great enough rivalry between the fighters if they could agree to do this.

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However, the actual explanation is much simpler.

It's all part of filming for a DAZN trailer to promote the fight, as the pair of them fight while switching between themselves and pixelated avatars.

Joshua and Ngannou thump each other all over the world, are knocked into space more than once and survive falls which would have rendered either boxer little more than a red splotch on the pavement.

Eventually each animated boxer throws a punch into the other's jaw at the exact same moment and they turn back into their human selves as they're both knocked out and collapse onto the canvas.

If you watched the behind-the-scenes footage which has got some boxing fans bleating about a 'script', that's what you saw them filming.

While it would certainly be dramatic for the boxers to essentially knock each other out at the same time it seems like a rather unlikely outcome from Friday's fight.

It'd be quite the homage to the Rocky franchise, and it's actually not unheard of in the sport for two boxers to knock each other on their arses at the exact same moment.

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Joshua comes into the fight off the back of three wins after being defeated by Oleksandr Usyk, while this will only be Ngannou's second boxing match after he previously fought Tyson Fury.

The reigning UFC champion before he switched to boxing, Ngannou was defeated by Fury but managed to knock his opponent down and claims he was really the winner.

Fury won the fight by split decision and afterwards admitted it wasn't the best he'd ever fought, saying he had 'a little bit of ring rust'.

You'll be able to watch Anthony Joshua fight Francis Ngannou this Friday, 8 March on Sky Sports Box Office with the main event expected to start at around 11.00pm UK time, though coverage starts from 4.00pm.