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Saudi Arabia’s boxing takeover continues tonight, as Anthony Joshua goes head-to-head with Francis Ngannou.
Joshua, 34, secured three wins from as many fights in 2023, rounding out the year with a stoppage of Otto Wallin in Riyadh. At the identical tournament in December, Deontay Wilder became once outpointed by Joseph Parker, scuppering plans of a bout between “AJ” and the American.
As a replace, Joshua will face ex-UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou, who made his boxing debut in October. In that bout in Riyadh, the Cameroonian floored Tyson Fury earlier than losing a controversial resolution – in one in every of the game’s most unprecedented moments ever.
Ngannou, 37, will leer to place things factual this evening, having returned to Riyadh to box but any other Briton in Joshua – a faded two-time unified champion.
Here’s all it is crucial to understand. We are in a position to also accomplish commission from a couple of of the links in this article, nonetheless we by no plan allow this to persuade our stutter. This earnings helps to fund journalism across The Neutral.
When is the battle?
Joshua vs Ngannou is determined to rob place on Friday 8 March in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The tournament is expected to begin at 3pm GMT (7am PT, 9am CT, 10am ET), with ring walks for Joshua vs Ngannou liable to begin at 11pm GMT (3pm PT, 5pm CT, 6pm ET).
How can I leer it?
The tournament will bound stay on Dazn in the UK, US and worldwide, with Sky Sports activities also airing the action in the UK.
Fresh Dazn viewers need to aquire the battle card for £19.ninety nine.
A subscription to Dazn is on hand to aquire here.
Odds
Joshua – 2/9
Ngannou – 100/30
Plot – 16/1
Odds by Betway. Procure the full most modern boxing betting sites’ affords here.
Guidelines
Joshua vs Ngannou will likely be a broken-down loyal boxing match. The battle is scheduled for 10 three-minute rounds. Every fighter can accumulate by resolution, knockout or TKO (technical knockout, e.g. the referee stops the bout, a towel is thrown in, or an fracture halts the battle).
Every round will likely be scored utilizing the ten-point ‘must’ device, which plan the winner of a round receives 10 ingredients, while the loser will get 9 – except they are knocked down or badly injure, whereby case they are going to receive 8 ingredients, 7 or fewer, reckoning on the severity of the injure.
The same ideas utilized to Ngannou’s loyal boxing debut in October, when he fought Fury, even if the quirk in that bout became once that the Briton’s WBC heavyweight title became once now not on the line.
Prize money
Joshua and Ngannou’s respective earnings for the battle enjoy now not been made public. A option of publications cited a Sports activities Industry Journal article, which apparently reported that AJ will fabricate $50m to Ngannou’s $20m – now not factoring in pay-per-check ingredients. On the choice hand, the authentic article now not lists explicit figures. A Forbes article has counseled the suggestion that those sums are ultimate, on the choice hand.
When Ngannou fought Fury in October, the Cameroonian earned $10m, in step with Fury, whose friend Derek Chisora claimed that the “Gypsy King” made $50m.
Elephantine card (topic to alternate)
Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou (heavyweight)
Zhilei Zhang (C) vs Joseph Parker (WBO meantime heavyweight title)
Rey Vargas (C) vs Reduce Ball (WBC featherweight title)
Israel Madrimov vs Magomed Kurbanov (vacant WBA tidy-welterweight title)
Gavin Gwynne vs Assign Chamberlain (lightweight)
Justis Huni vs Kevin Lerena (heavyweight)
Jack McGann vs Louis Greene (tidy-welterweight)
Roman Fury vs Martin Svarc (cruiserheavyweightweight)
Ziyad Almaayouf vs Christian Lopez Flores (tidy-lightweight)
Andrii Novytskyi vs Juan Torres (heavyweight)