We’ll see whether Anthony Joshua can get it right.
The former two-time heavyweight champ has agreed to face MMA star Francis Ngannou, who almost shocked the world in a split-decision loss to current champ Tyson Fury on Oct. 28 in the Cameroonian’s boxing debut.
The 10-round fight will take place March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the same site as the Fury-Ngannou event.
MMA Junkie confirmed the agreement and date following an announcement from Saudi Arabia’s chairman of general authority for entertainment Turki Alalshikh through Ariel Helwani.
A news conference to promote the fight is expected later this month in London.
Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) has bounced back from back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and last year — setbacks that cost him his titles and status — by outpointing Jermain Franklin and stopping Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin.
The 34-year-old from Watford, England, looked particularly good against Wallin, who could no longer fight after five one-sided rounds on Dec. 23 in Saudi Arabia.
Joshua was expected to fight fellow former champ Deontay Wilder in what would’ve been a massive showdown on March 8 but those plans were spoiled when Joseph Parker Jr. outpointed Wilder on the Joshua-Wallin card.
Fury and Usyk appear to be out of the picture for Joshua at the moment. The two are scheduled to meet on Feb. 17 in Riyadh for the undisputed championship and they agreed to a two-day rematch clause.
Ngannou left the UFC in early 2023 and declared his transition into the world of boxing. Though many doubted a massive “money fight” was on the table, Ngannou proved the skeptics wrong when he secured a professional bout against Fury.
Although Ngannou. 37, lost the bout, his competitive effort and knockdown of Fury garnered praise and respect across multiple combat sports communities. Many viewers even went as far as to say they thought Ngannou won the fight.
[lawrence-related id=40347,40341,40332,39507,39488]
