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Ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will take on former two-time unified boxing champion Anthony Joshua in his second professional appearance in the ring.
The announcement was confirmed through multiple sources, including Saudi Arabia's minister of entertainment, Turki Alalshik, and Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn.
The two fighters will collide in Riyadh on March 8, 2024, according to Joshua's post on X.
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Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rampage Jackson weighed in on the fight and backed Ngannou to win via stoppage, predicting a knockout victory for the Cameroonian-French athlete.
He wrote on X:
"I got Francis by ref stoppage.. who you got? [thinking face emoji]"
Check out Jackson's post below:
Ngannou surprised the combat sports fraternity with his debut performance against Tyson Fury last year after exiting the UFC in January.
He knocked down the WBC heavyweight champ and also outlanded him in power punches, but fell on the wrong side of a much-debated split decision on the scorecards.
When Eddie Hearn confidently predicted Anthony Joshua will beat Francis Ngannou - 'Take my money'
Anthony Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn previously weighed in on the Fury vs. Ngannou fight and also previewed a potential clash between Joshua and the former UFC man.
Hearn confidently told Ariel Helwani last October that Joshua will get the better of Ngannou if they face each other:
"Francis Ngannou against Anthony Joshua is one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport. And I promise you this, respect to Francis, easy work for my man. And I know Ariel, I know you’re getting a little bit high right now, I know the MMA world are just walking in the clouds but we’ll bring it straight down to reality."
Hearn also dismissed Helwani's arguments about 'The Predator's' power and was willing to bet on his prediction:
"Oh Ariel… So you think Ngannou will beat Joshua? I love it. I love. All of a sudden, we’ve gone from a night that’s farcical, pre-fight on Saturday. A lot of people’s perception pre-fight Saturday was that fight was farcical. We are now in a position where we’re debating if Francis Ngannou beats Anthony Joshua, take my money and I will show you what happens when Anthony Joshua fights Francis Ngannou."
Check out his full comments below:
