Sport/Boxing : Francis Ngannou takes on Anthony Joshua on March 09
After his fight against Tyson Fury, MMA fighter Francis Ngannou is set to face another boxing heavyweight in Anthony Joshua. The fight is expected to take place on March 9 in Riyadh.
While his bout against Tyson Fury was initially seen as a one-time event, the MMA champion will have another opportunity to prove himself as a boxer, as a matchup against British legend Anthony Joshua is set to be officially announced in the coming days.
The information was first reported by American journalist Ariel Helwani on Friday. Through a post on X (formerly Twitter), he stated that Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi minister in charge of entertainment in the kingdom, confirmed to him that a 10-round bout was scheduled for March 9 in Riyadh. Later in the evening, English promoter Eddie Hearn also announced that the deal was finalized and that a press conference would be held on January 15.
Ngannou had taken on a surprising challenge by challenging Tyson Fury, the winner of all four major heavyweight world titles, on October 29, 2023. In a discipline that wasn’t his own, the Cameroonian impressed the boxing community before losing by decision. The decision was contested by many at the time.
Anthony Joshua, who unified all four world titles in 2018, is coming off a year with three victories in 2023 after several significant losses. He recently defeated Swedish boxer Otto Wallin during a boxing event already held in Riyadh.
Ngannou is expected to earn the same amount as in his bout against Tyson Fury last October: $10 million. Meanwhile, Joshua is set to pocket $45 million.
It’s a significant payday for Francis Ngannou, whose largest UFC purse was one million euros.
