Francis Ngannou has once again shaken up the world of combat sports and the fighting community is taking immediate notice.
On Friday, news broke that Ngannou will meet heavyweight boxing sensation Anthony Joshua this coming March in Saudi Arabia. This comes just a few months after Ngannou made his professional boxing debut against Tyson Fury. The former UFC heavyweight king ended up losing to “Gypsy King” via split decision, but his performance was incredible and he left the arena a winner despite actually losing.
Now that Ngannou has locked down his second crossover boxing match since parting ways with UFC back in early 2023, the combat community is once again lining up to pay “Predator” some respect. Ngannou is going to have his hands full with a physically-gifted fighter like Joshua, but he just banked another massive payday against another big boxing superstar.
After learning of the Ngannou vs. Joshua fight news, social media went absolutely crazy. It’s truly an unprecedented journey that Ngannou is on and people tend to gravitate towards that. Check out some of the reaction below and let us know your thoughts of Ngannou’s return to the squared circle:
Making big moves in the new year ??
2024 is going to be— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) January 5, 2024
Tonight we confirm it’s a Done Deal! @anthonyjoshua v @francis_ngannou collide on a huge night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – press conference Jan 15 in London with full details dropping soon! #JoshuaNgannou @Turki_alalshikh @MatchroomBoxing @Queensberry #RiyadhSeason
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) January 5, 2024
Whaaaat? Wow did not expect that! https://t.co/gbk7M4bzi3
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) January 5, 2024
Danmmmm might be another bad day for boxing ??? https://t.co/mBwBcUY92m
— Billy Quarantillo (@BillyQMMA) January 5, 2024
Whoooooa! @francis_ngannou v Joshua is Official!! First he took out Fury is Joshua next? https://t.co/XbmnRSQXcK
— Brendan Schaub (@BrendanSchaub) January 5, 2024
Wow. Mannnnn good for Francis https://t.co/QxmQBDbrP3
— Randy Costa (@RandyCosta135) January 5, 2024
Francis Ngannou fighting Anthony Joshua in his 2nd boxing match its gangster af!
He’s fighting guys who won’t even fight each other pic.twitter.com/UujW6qvsJ4
— Megan Anderson (@MeganAnderson) January 5, 2024
The bag fumbling continues. Amazing seeing Francis turn himself into a commodity at HW overnight. With Fury-Usyk having a rematch clause, a smart play (and payday) for AJ. Fight the man with a *moral* victory over Tyson. Ngannou has his hands full with the AJ we saw last week. https://t.co/avH2NmK5O1
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) January 5, 2024
*Francis Ngannou vs Anthony Joshua announced*
Dana White: pic.twitter.com/UO8h06QlBQ
— MacMally (@MacMallyMMA) January 5, 2024
Some fans after seeing Ngannou Joshua announced for some reason pic.twitter.com/GGa13mc4rs
— Tommy Toe Hold (@TommyToeHold) January 5, 2024
We’ve seen MMA fighters aspire to get a boxing fight. Maybe a rematch if they’re lucky. With a Wilder fight still also a potential, Ngannou appears to be almost switching careers, at least for a couple of years. Most MMA fighters lucky enough to box don’t get that much runway. https://t.co/ZJkkS9kOFA
— Luke Thomas ???? (@lthomasnews) January 5, 2024
Stick with Mania for more Ngannou vs. Joshua fight news.