Anthony Joshua may not have been able to land a fight with Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder, but he has managed to secure another strong opponent in his place. It was confirmed on Friday night that Joshua will face Francis Ngannou in a likely 10-round bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalcik, made the announcement on his social media account.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said the official announcement would be made on January 15th in London. “Tonight, we confirm it’s a done deal! @anthonyjoshua vs. @francis_ngannou collided on a big night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” Hearn said in a post on Twitter. “Press conference will be held in London on January 15th, details will be revealed soon. #JoshuaNgannou @Turki_alalshikh @MatchroomBoxing @Queensbury #RiyadhSeason”
Although no official dates have been announced, the Joshua vs. Ngannou fight is speculated to be March 8th and 9th. Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs), who lives in Watford, England, last fought on Dec. 23, also in Riyadh, and was the centerpiece of the “Day of Reckoning” card. Joshua, ranked No. 2 in The Ring’s heavyweight rankings, dominated his opponent Otto Wallin, leaving Wallin on a chair after the fifth round. Wallin probably suffered a broken nose during the battle. The victory over Wallin was Joshua’s third straight since losing a split decision to Oleksandr Usyk in August 2022.
Joshua was a former world champion and had trainer Derrick James in his corner. In the fight against Wallin, trainer Ben Davison was in charge of Joshua’s corner. The 34-year-old is set to face Deontay Wilder in a highly anticipated showdown later this year. Wilder fought Joseph Parker on the same “Day of Reckoning” card, losing to the former world title holder in a lopsided decision. Ngannou nearly pulled off a major upset in his only boxing match on October 28th. Lost to Tyson Fury by split decision. Ngannou scored a knockdown in the third round and outboxed Fury throughout the bout.
Ngannou, 37, a former UFC heavyweight champion, is originally from Baty, Cameroon, and currently lives and trains in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Joshua vs. Ngannou fight in March is the latest in a string of recent high-profile fights in Saudi Arabia. The Feb. 17 fight between Fury and Ring Magazine heavyweight champion Usyk will also take place in Riyadh.
If each wins, Fury and Joshua could face each other in an all-British clash that could potentially fill football stadiums in the UK or Saudi Arabia. There is no word yet on which platform the Joshua vs. Ngannou fight will be streamed.
Francisco A. Salazar has been writing for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and overseas since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. You can contact him at: [email protected]
