Joshua achieved his first knockout victory since disposing of Alexander Povetkin in September 2018. (Photo by Andrew Couldridge – Pool/Getty Images)
Anthony Joshua may not have gotten a matchup against Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder, but instead he managed to secure another top opponent.
Joshua will face Francis Ngannou in a likely 10-round fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, it was confirmed on Friday night. Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, made the announcement on his social media account.
Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua, said an official announcement will be made on January 15 in London.
“Tonight we confirm that it is a done deal! “@anthonyjoshua and @francis_ngannou collide on a big night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” Hearn said in a post on Twitter. “- Press conference on January 15 in London and full details will be published soon! #JoshuaNgannou @Turki_alalshikh @MatchroomBoxing @Queensbury #RiyadhSeason”
No official date has been announced, but March 8 and 9 have been the speculated dates for the Joshua-Ngannou fight to take place.
Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs), who resides in Watford, England, last fought on December 23, also in Riyadh, which headlined a ‘Judgment Day’ card. Joshua, who is ranked No. 2 by The Ring at heavyweight, dominated contender Otto Wallin, forcing Wallin to remain on his stool after the fifth round. Wallin likely suffered a broken nose during the fight.
The victory over Wallin is Joshua’s third consecutive victory since losing a split decision to Oleksandr Usyk in August 2022.
Joshua is a former unified world champion, who has had trainer Derrick James in his corner. For the fight with Wallin, trainer Ben Davison worked on Joshua’s corner.
The 34-year-old was expected to face Deontay Wilder in a long-awaited showdown later this year. Wilder fought Joseph Parker on the same ‘Judgment Day’ card, losing a one-sided decision to the former world champion.
Ngannou nearly pulled off a significant upset in his only boxing fight on October 28, losing a split decision to Tyson Fury. Ngannou scored a knockdown in the third round and outworked Fury throughout the fight.
Ngannou, 37, a former UFC heavyweight champion, is originally from Batie, Cameroon and now lives and trains in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The March fight between Joshua and Ngannou is the latest in a series of recent high-profile cards to take place in Saudi Arabia. The February 17 clash between Fury and Usyk, the Ring magazine heavyweight champion, will also take place in Riyadh.
If both emerge victorious, Fury and Joshua could meet in an all-Britain clash that could fill football stadiums in the UK or Saudi Arabia.
It is not yet known on which platform the fight between Joshua and Ngannou will be broadcast.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County, California, Star newspaper. He can be contacted at [email protected]
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