Breaking news in the world of combat sports this evening as Ariel Helwani has broken the news that Francis Ngannou will be making his return to the boxing ring later this year in Saudi Arabia against none other than former unified Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
Major Boxing Tilt Announced for Saudi
The news comes hot following Francis Ngannou’s boxing debut earlier this year with an extremely close decision loss to current WBC champion Tyson Fury in a fight that shocked the world with its competitiveness. Expected to be schooled, Ngannou instead showed the world that he could compete with the best Heavyweight on the planet, with the former UFC Heavyweight champion earning himself a spot as a ranked heavyweight. Many speculated whether he would return to boxing after putting in such a high-quality performance the first time. He is indeed with Anthony Joshua being next in his sights.
According to Helwani, Joshua had been initially set to fight Deontay Wilder, with the two fighting on the Day of Reckoning card on December 23rd. However, plans for that fight were scrapped following Wilder’s defeat to Joseph Parker. Joshua has elected Ngannou as his next opponent, foregoing a fight many thought he would take against Filip Hrgovic for the IBF strap.
Joshua has had an excellent 2023, going 3-0, and his dominant KO victory against tough Swede Otto Wallin has people talking and excited to see Joshua fight again after an apparent slump following his back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk. Helwani confirmed this information by Turki Alalshikh, the current Chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment within the Saudi government. According to Helwani, the fight will be officially announced with a press conference in London later this month, where more details, such as the date, will likely be revealed.
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