Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing
Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news
Anthony Joshua will box Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia tonight, as the Briton risks his place atop the heavyweight division against the former UFC champion.
Ngannou left the UFC in early 2023, vacating its heavyweight title in the process. The Cameroonian, 37, then made his boxing debut in October, flooring Tyson Fury in Riyadh before losing a controversial decision.
Following that remarkable event, Ngannou returns to the same city for a bout with Joshua, who also fought in Riyadh recently; in December, “AJ” stopped Otto Wallin to seal his third win from as many fights in 2023.
Joshua, 34, was expected to box Deontay Wilder next, but the American lost on the same night as the former two-time unified champion’s win over Wallin. Instead of that long-awaited mega-fight, Joshua now has a clash with another heavy hitter in Ngannou.
Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
When is the fight?
Joshua vs Ngannou is set to take place on Friday 8 March in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event is expected to begin at 3pm GMT (7am PT, 9am CT, 10am ET), with ring walks for Joshua vs Ngannou likely to start at 11pm GMT (3pm PT, 5pm CT, 6pm ET).
How can I watch it?
Anthony Joshua, left, takes on Francis Ngannou on March 8 (Zac Goodwin/PA)
(PA Wire)
The event will stream live on Dazn in the UK, US and worldwide, with Sky Sports also airing the action in the UK.
New Dazn viewers can purchase the fight card for £19.99.
A subscription to Dazn is available to purchase here.
Odds
Joshua – 2/9
Ngannou – 100/30
Draw – 16/1
Odds via Betway. Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers here.
Rules
Ngannou mocks Tyson Fury after knocking down the boxer
(AFP via Getty Images)
Joshua vs Ngannou will be a standard professional boxing match. The fight is scheduled for 10 three-minute rounds. Each fighter can win via decision, knockout or TKO (technical knockout, e.g. the referee stops the bout, a towel is thrown in, or an injury halts the fight).
Each round will be scored using the 10-point ‘must’ system, meaning the winner of a round receives 10 points, while the loser gets 9 – unless they are knocked down or badly hurt, in which case they will receive 8 points, 7 or fewer, depending on the severity of the damage.
The same rules applied to Ngannou’s pro boxing debut in October, when he fought Fury, although the quirk in that bout was that the Briton’s WBC heavyweight title was not on the line.
Prize money
Joshua and Ngannou’s respective earnings for the fight have not been made public. A number of publications cited a Sports Business Journal article, which apparently reported that AJ will make $50m to Ngannou’s $20m – not factoring in pay-per-view points. However, the original article no longer lists specific figures. A Forbes article has endorsed the suggestion that those sums are accurate, however.
When Ngannou fought Fury in October, the Cameroonian earned $10m, according to Fury, whose friend Derek Chisora claimed that the “Gypsy King” made $50m.
Full card (subject to change)
Joseph Parker, who outpointed Deontay Wilder in December, will fight Zhilei Zhang
(Getty Images)
Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou (heavyweight)
Zhilei Zhang (C) vs Joseph Parker (WBO interim heavyweight title)
Rey Vargas (C) vs Nick Ball (WBC featherweight title)
Israel Madrimov vs Magomed Kurbanov (vacant WBA super-welterweight title)
Gavin Gwynne vs Mark Chamberlain (lightweight)
Justis Huni vs Kevin Lerena (heavyweight)
Jack McGann vs Louis Greene (super-welterweight)
Roman Fury vs Martin Svarc (heavyweight)
Ziyad Almaayouf vs Christian Lopez Flores (super-lightweight)
Andrii Novytskyi vs Juan Torres (heavyweight)
