Anthony Joshua To Fight UFC Icon Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia

Anthony Joshua will face UFC legend Francis Ngannou in his next fight, Eddie Hearn has confirmed.

Ngannou shocked the world on his professional boxing debut when he floored Tyson Fury last October, although the WBC heavyweight world champion ultimately won on points via split decision.

But Ngannou is back to take on another British heavyweight in Joshua, who won three times in 2023 as he rebuilds his career after losing his world titles and suffering successive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.

On Friday night news broke that both Joshua and Ngannou had signed a deal for the ten-round bout which will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The showdown was confirmed by Joshua’s promoter Hearn, who said on X: “Tonight we confirm it’s a done deal! @anthonyjoshua v @francis_ngannou collide on a huge night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – press conference Jan 15 in London with full details dropping soon!”

Meanwhile, fellow promoter Frank Warren said: “Another historic night for
@RiyadhSeason! Press conference and fight date news coming soon. Can’t wait for it all to get started!”

It is expected that the fight will be staged on March 9 – the date originally scheduled for Joshua vs Deontay Wilder.

Joshua and Wilder had agreed a deal to face off ahead of fighting on the same Day of Reckoning card in Saudi Arabia on December 23.

But while Joshua enjoyed an impressive win over Otto Wallin, forcing the Swede to retire, Wilder was comprehensively beaten on points by Parker.

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