Francis Ngannou’s second boxing fight marks the continuation of his remarkable rise in the sport as the former UFC champion fights Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia tonight.
In October, Ngannou made his boxing debut against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, knocking out the Brit before losing a hotly disputed decision in Riyadh.
Now the 37-year-old Cameroonian faces another Brit, “AJ”, a former two-time Unified champion.
Joshua, 34, scored three wins from three fights in 2023 and stopped Otto Wallin Riyadh in December to round out the year. He was expecting a fight with Deontay Wilder here, only for the American to scupper those plans by losing to Joseph Parker on the same night that AJ defeated Wallin.
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When is the fight?
Joshua vs. Ngannou takes place on Friday, March 8th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. GMT (7:00 a.m. PT, 9:00 a.m. CT, 10:00 a.m. ET), with ringwalks for Joshua vs. Ngannou expected at 11:00 p.m. GMT (3:00 p.m PT, 5:00 p.m. CT, 6:00 p.m. ET).
How can I watch it?
Anthony Joshua, left, takes on Francis Ngannou on March 8 (Zac Goodwin/PA)
(PA cable)
The event will be broadcast live on Dazn in the UK, US and worldwide, with Sky Sports also broadcasting the action in the UK.
New Dazn viewers can purchase the fight card and a free monthly subscription for £19.99, while existing subscribers can purchase the event for £18.99. Sky, meanwhile, has priced the event at £19.95.
A subscription to Dazn can be purchased here.
opportunities
Joshua – 2/9
Ngannou – 100/30
Draw – 16/1
Odds via Betway. Get the latest offers from boxing betting sites Here.
Regulate
Ngannou taunts Tyson Fury after knocking the boxer down
(AFP via Getty Images)
Joshua vs Ngannou will be a normal professional boxing match. The fight is scheduled for 10 three-minute rounds. Each fighter can win by decision, knockout, or TKO (technical knockout, e.g. the referee stops the fight, a towel is thrown in, or an injury stops the fight).
Each round is scored using the 10-point must-win system, meaning the winner of a round receives 10 points while the loser receives 9 points – unless they are knocked down or seriously injured. In this case he gets 8 points, 7 or less depending on the severity of the damage.
The same rules applied to Ngannou’s professional boxing debut in October when he fought Fury, although the twist in that fight was that the Brit’s WBC heavyweight title was not at stake.
Prize money
Joshua and Ngannou’s respective earnings for the fight were not disclosed. A number of publications cite a Sports Business Journal Article that apparently reported that AJ will make $50 million, Ngannou’s $20 million – not counting pay-per-view points. However, the original article no longer gives any specific figures. A Forbes However, the article confirmed the assumption that these totals are correct.
When Ngannou fought Fury in October, the Cameroonian earned $10 million, according to Fury, whose friend Derek Chisora claimed the “Gypsy King” earned $50 million.
Full menu (subject to change)
Joseph Parker, who defeated Deontay Wilder in December, will face Zhilei Zhang
(Getty Images)
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou (Heavyweight)
Zhilei Zhang (center) vs. Joseph Parker (WBO interim heavyweight title)
Rey Vargas (center) 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 (cruiserweight)
Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Christian Lopez Flores (super lightweight)
Andrii Novytskyi vs. Juan Torres (Heavyweight)
