Former WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua will face Francis Ngannou, a former UFC champion on March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ngannou, a 37-year-old former mixed martial arts fighter made his professional boxing debut in October 2023 when he knocked down WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury before losing by a split decision.
Joshua delivered one of his best fights since 2018 after beating Otto Wallin in the fifth round through a technical knockout in a non-title fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last December.
The win over Wallin means Joshua has won three fights in 2023 and is desperate to become a three-time world champion.
The Cameroonian-born MMA fighter may be the most profitable choice available.
Joshua, 34, was set to face Deontay Wilder after beating Otto Wallin, but the 38-year-old American’s loss to New Zealander Joseph Parker stopped plans for the highly-anticipated big-money fight.
Joshua says he is hoping a fight against ex-mixed martial arts fighter Ngannou will lead to a shot at becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
The fighters faced off during a press conference in London on Monday.
“Every fight leads to somewhere, so this fight is my everything and we will see where it leads me,” Joshua said at a press conference in London.
“I have got to take his mind and his spirit, it will be explosive. We can both trade and it will be a good fight.”
Fury will also face Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh on February 17 in a fight that will deliver the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999.
