Former UFC World Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou will face Anthony Joshua in a boxing bout during the Riyadh season.
The bout was announced on January 5th in a post shared across Queensbury Promotions’ social media pages which read:
“Confirmed: Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou is signed to take place during the @Riyadhseason!
“Fight date and kick off press conference details to be released next week! #JoshuaNgannou”
Both men have enjoyed success in Saudi Arabia during recent times, albeit only one of them had their hand raised as the victor.
In his boxing debut, Francis Ngannou put on a tremendous display against World Champion Tyson Fury back at the start of the Riyadh season.
In a performance that shocked the world, Ngannou sent Fury crashing to the mat early on and proceeded to box in fashion way beyond what fans and many pundits believed was possible for a debuting athlete.
Although he came out on the wrong side of the decision, Ngannou established himself as a severe threat to those at the very top of the boxing world. Already ranked with the World Boxing Council (WBC), the PFL-signed star will no doubt look to cement his place into more boxing rankings with a win over Anthony Joshua.
Joshua goes into the contest following a well worked victory against Otto Wallin. After back to back defeats to Oleksaner Usyk in 2022. ‘AJ’ used 2023 to rebuild his career.
A lacklustre win over Jermaine Franklin led the two-time world champion to be scheduled to face familiar foe Dillian Whyte. Whyte returned abnormal findings in a test result so Robert Helenius stepped into the contest on extremely short notice. Joshua dispatched of him in the seventh round but fans were still left wanting more.
His first appearance in Saudi Arabia came just before Christmas in the Otto Wallin bout. Having teamed up with the highly respected coach, Ben Davidson, Joshua looked to be back to his former self. Striking hard, striking fast, and looking to end the fight within the distance. Of which he did, with Wallin retiring on his stool after the fifth round.
Although Ngannou shocked the world in his debut bout, it is still unclear as to just what level of boxing he is at and whether his full capability inside the ring has been unlocked. AJ will no doubt provide a stern test for the MMA star.
