The official trailer for Francis Ngannou‘s return to the ring has been released.
On Friday, March 8, the former UFC heavyweight world champion will return to the boxing ring five months removed from his critically acclaimed clash with ‘The Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury. This time, Ngannou will face the WBC’s top-ranked heavyweight contender — Anthony Joshua.
“Ready for the fight? Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou. A confrontation that shakes the earth with its knockout blows. Riyadh on Friday, March 8, at Kingdom Arena,” Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, wrote on X.
Francis Ngannou Plays the Role of underdog once again
Joshua will look for his fourth straight when he meets the Cameroonian combat sports star in Saudi Arabia. Joshua is 27-3 in his pro boxing career with 24 of his wins coming by way of knockout. Since coming up short against Oleksandr Usyk in back-to-back bouts, the Watford, England native has won three in a row, including a fifth-round TKO against Otto Wallin in the ‘Day of Reckoning‘ headliner late last year.
It will be Francis Ngannou’s sophomore appearance in the sweet science after coming up short in a razor-close split decision against the reigning WBC heavyweight champ. Despite the loss, Ngannou’s performance was strong enough to land him in the No. 10 spot on the WBC heavyweight rankings — setting the stage for his high-stakes scrap with Joshua.
Joshua goes into the contest as a -400 favorite while Ngannou once again takes the undog role, sitting at +300.
The event will air live worldwide on DAZN PPV for $39.99 (with subscription) and is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET.