Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou signed as Saudi boxing takeover continues
"Get Latest Sport News: Sign Up For Free Newsletter"
Get The Latest Sport News With Our Free Email Signup!
The matchup between Anthony Joshua and former UFC champion Francis Ngannou is now a done deal, as boxing in Saudi Arabia continues to grow in prominence.
On Friday (January 5th), Ariel Helwani, a journalist specializing in combat sports, announced that the news had come from Turki Al-Sheikh, a Saudi adviser in charge of boxing in the area. Queensberry Promotions, which has a close relationship with Al-Sheikh, confirmed the news and promised a press conference in the near future.
In December, Joshua participated in a boxing match in Riyadh where he took on Otto Wallin in the main event. It was a highly anticipated fight card and Joshua managed to stop Wallin. Interestingly, just two months prior to this event, Ngannou also made his boxing debut against Tyson Fury in the same city.
Ngannou, who competes in mixed martial arts, was defeated in a disputed bout against Fury despite knocking down the WBC heavyweight champion. The 37-year-old is now gearing up for a fight against Joshua, a fellow British fighter.
It is anticipated that the contest's date will be disclosed next week, and the battle will take place in Riyadh. As indicated by Helwani, the match will be organized for ten rounds.
In 2023, Joshua, who is 34 years old, secured a win over Wallin by TKO in the fifth round. The Swedish fighter's corner eventually withdrew him from the match. This is Joshua's third win this year and he has been undefeated so far. His impressive performances in these three matches are seen as his way of bouncing back after losing twice to Oleksandr Usyk.
In 2021, Usyk defeated Joshua to end his second reign as the unified heavyweight champion of the world. The victory was achieved via decision in London. The following year, Usyk managed to outscore Joshua once again, this time in Saudi Arabia, thus retaining his unbeaten record and championship belts.
After signing to fight Fury in February, Usyk, who is also undefeated, is set to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years. The highly anticipated fight will take place in Riyadh and the stakes are high. Fury's WBC belt will be up for grabs, unlike in his previous fight with Ngannou. Usyk will also put his WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO titles on the line in the ultimate showdown.
Ngannou taunts Tyson Fury following his knockout of the pugilist.
The blog section utilized pictures from AFP via Getty Images.
Ngannou was the champion of the UFC's heavyweight division from 2021 to 2022, but he chose to leave the organization and gave up his title in 2023. He joined the Professional Fighters League, which is a competing MMA promotion to the UFC. This move will allow him to participate in boxing before he makes his first appearance for the new company.
After defeating Wallin, people were anticipating Joshua's fight against Deontay Wilder. However, Wilder had a crushing defeat to Joseph Parker in the same event, which seemed to bring an end to the opportunity for a huge fight between AJ and Wilder. As a substitute, it was proposed AJ might aim for a match with Filip Hrgovic for the IBF heavyweight title, only if the winner of Fury vs Usyk were to step down from the title.
The meaning of the news on Friday regarding a possible boxing match between Joshua and Hrgovic remains uncertain.
