It’s going to be Explosive: Joshua-Ngannou Fight Inked for March 8

The winner of the fight between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou will likely face the winner of the undisputed heavyweight title clash between Fury and Usyk

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, January 17, 2024 – Cameroon’s Francis Ngannou was hugely impressive in his boxing debut against Tyson Fury. Despite the loss to the Gypsy King, the predator received raved reviews from boxing greats across the world. The next showdown for Ngannou has now been confirmed against Joshua on March 8, 2024, in Saudi Arabia.

Francis Ngannou knocked down Tyson Fury last year and is looking to do the same for Joshua in their fight. In the press conference on Monday, Ngannou said he will be looking to test the chin of Joshua, as he has heard that the Brit does not have a good chin.

“I am going to fight him, so what do you think I am going to do? I am going to look for his chin,” Francis Ngannou said during the press conference. “That is what happens in the fight. In the fight you try to hit somebody in the chin or wherever you can hit them.”

“And then, yes, I have heard that he does not have a chin. I don’t know if that is true or not. We are going to find out. I hope I have the opportunity to test that out. That is my wish.”

This will be the second boxing fight for the recently ranked WBC top 10 boxer in the world. Since transitioning to boxing, the predator is looking to combine MMA and boxing having signed with the Professional Fighters League, PFL, from the UFC.

The winner of the fight between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou is reported to be facing the winner of the undisputed heavyweight title clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, according to Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn.

For Anthony Joshua, a lot will be riding on this fight with Ngannou. Having lost his title to Usyk in 2021 before failing a rematch defeat almost a year later, Joshua has rebounded with 3 successive victories. The most recent victory came against Otto Wallin, a dominant victory reigniting hopes that the 34-year-old can become world champion again for a third time.

Anthony Joshua is looking ahead to the Ngannou test. He said: “He brings two arms, a body, like every other fighter does. It is just his mind that is different to everyone. He’s seen people like me, I’ve seen people like him many times before, but it is just his mind I have to conquer in the ring,” Anthony Joshua said in Monday’s press conference.

It is going to be good, it is going to be explosive, Anthony Joshua added. “You have to take someone’s soul, you have to take their spirit and I am looking forward to the challenge for sure. It is going to be good. It is going to be explosive. There are many ways to skin a cat. I can counterpunch, he can counterpunch, we can both box, and we can both trade. It is going to be a good, good fight.”

Charlie Wyett, a writer for the Sun said Ngannou is the right opponent for Joshua, who had been looking to face Wilder. He said: "He was hoping it was going to be Deontay Wilder but because of what happened with his fight they have lined this opponent up. It's a process that's going to take a while."

“I think that's one thing we're going to have to get used to now for many years to come that all these fights are going to be in Saudi Arabia now. But it's not a surprise that they've fixed up a fight for around that time.”