Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou will meet in heavyweight clash live on Sky Sports Box Office on March 8; boxing superstar Joshua is the former WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion working his way back to the top of the sport; Ngannou, a UFC champion, fights AJ after Tyson Fury bout
Monday 19 February 2024 17:33, UK
The Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou heavyweight clash will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Box Office on Friday March 8.
Joshua, the former unified WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion, will fight Ngannou, the one-time UFC titlist whose sudden appearance in boxing has taken the sport by storm, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
Sky Sports Managing Director, Jonathan Licht, said: "As the unrivalled home for sports fans in the UK and Ireland, Sky Sports is thrilled to offer our customers the chance to watch this eagerly awaited clash."
Joshua is on a three-bout winning streak after rebuilding from a second consecutive loss to Oleksandr Usyk in 2022.
Most recently he dominated Otto Wallin, forcing the Swedish contender to retire on his stool after five rounds.
Mixed martial arts star Ngannou will only be having his second professional boxing bout, but he almost secured one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight history in his first.
Last October Ngannou made his pro boxing debut against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in a 10-round non-title bout.
But Ngannou shocked the world when he dropped Fury in their third round. Ngannou went on to lose on a split decision.
Now he will take on another boxing superstar in Joshua and the winner of the fight will be well-placed to challenge for a world title further down the line.
On the undercard, after upsetting Deontay Wilder, New Zealand's Joseph Parker will take on fearsome heavyweight Zhilei Zhang, who twice stopped Joe Joyce last year to win and retain the WBO Interim strap.
Liverpool's unbeaten Nick Ball will also challenge Rey Vargas for the WBC featherweight title.
In an all-British bout, Mark Chamberlain will fight Gavin Gwynne for the European lightweight championship.
Also on the bill will be Australian heavyweight prospect Justis Huni, Tyson Fury's brother Roman Fury, British super-welterweight Jack McGann and local fighter Ziyad Almaayouf.
Watch Joshua vs Ngannou live on Sky Sports Box Office on Friday March 8.
