Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou will clash in an intriguing main event in Riyadh this weekend, as Saudi Arabia’s boxing takeover continues.
Joshua headlined a huge night of action in Riyadh in December, stopping Otto Wallin just moments after Deontay Wilder was upset by Joseph Parker. The plan was for “AJ” to box Wilder next, and the Briton will indeed face a heavy hitter this time out – just not the American.
Joshua, 34, will fight former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou, in the latter’s second boxing match ever. In October, Ngannou dropped Tyson Fury in a remarkable moment in Riyadh, only to lose a controversial decision.
The Cameroonian, 37, will try not to leave his fate in the judges’ hands this weekend, as he seeks a shock knockout against Joshua – a former two-time unified champion.
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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 5pm GMT (10am PT, 12pm CT, 1pm ET), with ring walks for Joshua vs Ngannou likely to start at 10.30pm GMT (3.30pm PT, 5.30pm CT, 6.30pm ET).
How can I watch it?
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 and a month’s free subscription for £19.99, while existing subscribers can buy the event for £18.99. Sky, meanwhile, has priced the event at £19.95.
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
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)
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)
Mark Chamberlain vs Gavin Gwynne (lightweight)
Jack McGann vs Louis Greene (super-welterweight)
Roman Fury vs Martin Svarc (cruiserweight)
Ziyad Almaayouf vs Christian Lopez Flores (super-lightweight)
Andrii Novytskyi vs Juan Torres (heavyweight)