There’s now an official roadmap for former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou to win the undisputed heavyweight boxing title in 2024.
If Francis Ngannou defeats Anthony Joshua on March 8th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he’ll move on to face the winner of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight title.
That’s according to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, who is the mastermind behind Riyadh Season and all the insane boxing events being held at Kingdom Arena lately. During a press conference to promote Ngannou vs. Joshua, Alalshikh also revealed the Undisputed Heavyweight belt that Fury (WBC champ) and Usyk (WBA, IBF, and WBO champ) would be fighting for.
It’s not the prettiest belt we’ve ever seen, but the money being paid to those who fight for it makes up for that.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has unveiled their new World Heavyweight Undisputed Champion belt which will presumably be awarded to the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk winner on Feb 17th as they are fighting for the undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF & WBO heavyweight world titles. pic.twitter.com/O1oRxZ9E3H
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) January 15, 2024
That money, and Saudi Arabia’s growing stranglehold on top-tier heavyweight boxing, is making a lot of fights that once seemed impossible … possible! On the undercard of Joshua vs. Ngannou is Zhilei Zhang vs. Joseph Parker. Zhang is one of the most interesting heavyweights on the verge of breaking through to elite level.
Before, it looked like Zhang would be stuck on the outside looking in as opponents ducked him for more lucrative and less dangerous options. With Turki Alalshikh handling the cash and matchmaking duties, we could see him in the mix for undisputed champion by the end of the year.
Fans of the sport who have complained about a lack of inter-promotional fights will also be pleased by a new development announced at the Ngannou vs. Joshua press conference: a 5 vs. 5 event where the top names from Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom boxing take on Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions.
With all these big happenings, it’s little surprise that Saudi Arabia told UFC to go back to the drawing board for their debut event in the Kingdom. It’s big things, and only big things, happening there right now.