The heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou Friday is shaping up to be far more than a boxing-mixed martial arts crossover.
Tyson Fury said he’ll give the winner a shot at his undisputed world heavyweight title — assuming Fury still has it after fighting Oleksandr Usyk May 18.
Also at stake:
For Ngannou, the former UFC champion, it’s a chance to prove he’s a formidable boxer. He delivered a stunning performance in October in his pro boxing debut.
Pitted against world champ Tyson Fury, Ngannou, 37, scored the only knockdown of the fight and landed punishing blows before losing a controversial split decision. But he said he has not yet shocked the world.
“I’m still in the factory, building,” Ngannou, a native of Cameroon, said this week. “You know, training, learning.”
For Joshua, the Brit, it’s an opportunity to continue his re-ascension. Joshua (27-3, 24 KO’s) has won three straight bouts after losing back-to-back fights to Usyk. But a loss to Ngannou would create serious doubts about whether Joshua, 34, can ever reclaim the championship belts he lost to Usyk in 2021.
“I’m looking forward to the occasion,” Joshua said.
The fight card begins at 11 a.m. ET with the main event taking place approximately at 5:50 p.m. ET, according to DAZN.
- Game day: Friday, March 8
- Game time: 11:00 a.m., ET
- TV channel: Coverage available only on DAZN
- Live stream: DAZN PPV
- Cost: $39.99
[5:42 PM] Peter, Josh
Follow here for round-by-round updates when the match begins.
Rey Vargas survived two knockdowns and retained his WBC featherweight title in a split draw with Nick Ball.
Ball, a 5-foot-2 Brit, was the aggressor through the 12-round bout. But Vargas, the 5-10 Mexican punished Ball with his left jab.
The judges scored the fight 114-112 for Vargas, 116-110 for Ball and 113-113.
“I was the aggressor in the fight, so I thought I’d done enough to win it,’’ Ball.
Vargas, who improved to 37-1, said he’ll give Ball a rematch. Ball suffered his first defeat, fall to 19-1. See a round-by-round recap below.
Round 1: A striking contrast with the 5-foot-2 Ball and 5-10 Vargas circling at the center of the ring. The diminutive Ball not backing down. But Vargas lands more punches. Vargas 10, Ball 9.
Round 2: Ball trying to get inside but running right into Vargas jabs. But Ball finally connecting. Maybe even steals the round? Vargas 19, Ball 19.
Round 3: The rough-and-tumble Ball sends Vargas flying to the canvas with…an MMA move? No point deduction, but doubtful the judges are impressed. Vargas does most of the scoring. Vargas 29, Ball 28.
Round 4: Ball rushing at Vargas, determined to negate Vargas’ reach advantage, then slips through the ropes. Almost out of control. Vargas delivering that jab again and again. Vargas 39, Ball 37.
Round 5: Ball is a bulldog and looks like he could do damage inside. But Vargas still mostly fending off his challenger with the jab. Vargas 49, Ball 46.
Round 6: Ball wrestles Vargas to the canvas. But Vargas sticking with his game plan – capitalize on his reach advantage. You can give Ball credit for scrappiness, but can’t give him the round. Vargas 59, Ball 55.
Round 7: Ball lands a solid right, and now Vargas backing away. Ball lands another right hand and Vargas looks shaken. An energized Ball rocks Vargas with another right hand! Vargas 68, Ball 55.
Round 8: Vargas looks back in command – well, for the moment anyway. Ball pushes Vargas to the canvas again. Ball scores a knockdown at the end of the round! Vargas 76, Ball 75.
Round 9: The knockdown doesn’t seem to have affected Vargas. But Ball remains relentlessly aggressive. Putting lots of pressure of Vargas, who responds with a big right hand. Vargas 86, Ball 84.
Round 10: Vargas connects with a body shot and Ball backs up. But not for long. Ball, stalking and lunging, seems to be wearing down Vargas. Vargas 95, Ball 94.
Round 11: Ball chasing Vargas, clearly looking for a KO blow. Vargas responds with those long-armed punches. But ball still dictating the action. Another knockdown for Ball late in the round! Vargas makes the eight-count. Ball 104, Vargas 103.
Round 12: Ball still stalking, and that aggression may earn him what he needs. Vargas just looks spent. And Ball is the energizer bunny – er, bull. And Ball lands a solid left hand to finish things off. Ball 114, Vargas 112.
Legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao accompanied Rey Vargas of Mexico on his ring walk. Vargas, the WBC world featherweight champion is putting his belt on the line against Nick Ball of England in a bout scheduled for 12 rounds.
Madrimov won the WBA super welterweight title when he stopped Kurbanov by TKO in the fifth round.
When the referee stopped the fight, the 25-year-old Uzbekistan boxer celebrated in the ring with a cartwheel followed by a backflip.
“Great feeling,’’ Madrimov said while holding the championship belt in the ring. “…This belt coming to Uzbekistan.’’
Madrimov improved to 10-0-1. Kurbanov, a 28-year-old from Russia, suffered his first loss and fell to 25-1.
The WBO heavyweight championship belt, which now belongs to Zhilei Zhang, will be on the line when China’s Zhang fights Joseph in a heavyweight bout scheduled for 12 rounds. May the fighters look half as polished as the WBO heavyweight championship belt.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, the leading power broker in Saudi boxing, got a special welcome between fights. Wearing signature shades, he tapped his chest with a fist in acknowledgment of cheers.
Then the Saudi Arabian national anthem was played and the boxing resumed.
Chamberlain stopped Gwynne by TKO in the fourth round of the lightweight bout.
A southpaw, Chamberlain battered Gwynne from the outset and left his opponent’s right eye badly swollen after the first round. The injury worsened and the referee waved off the fight at 2:46 of the fourth round.
“I wanted to make a statement out here,’’ Chamberlain said.
Chamberlain, a 24-year-old from England, improved to 16-0. Gwynne, a 33-year-old from Wales, dropped to 17-3.
Huni survived a final-round barrage to beat Lerena by unanimous decision in the 10-round heavyweight fight.
But Lerena, from South Africa, bloodied in the sixth round, delivered an electrifying effort in the final round. Twice he rocked Huni, who wobbled but stayed on his feet and pulled out the victory.
The judges scored the fight 96-94, 96-94 and 98-92.
The Australian Huni, 24, improved to 9-0 and Lerena, 31, fell to 30-3.
Lerena’s mother died earlier this week.
“Emotionally it was tough,’’ he said. “But you can’t take anything away from this young man. …
“I had him hurt. I should have finished him. But kudos to him, he stayed up like a tough lion, a young lion.’’
Huni cited his training when asked about withstanding Lerena’s powerful shots in the 10th round.
“I’m glad my legs are strong enough to stick it out.
Fury, who got knocked down by Ngannou in October before pulling out a victory by split decision, offered his thoughts on the matchup between Joshua and Ngannou.
“I think if Joshua uses his jab, moves his feet, he wins comfortably,’’ Fury said during an interview on the DAZN broadcast. “But if he gets involved, he could get attacked like I did.
“I should’ve probably used me jab and danced around him…But I tried to jump in with big power shots and, bang-bang. I was having a lot of success early with the one-two, and he was taking them, to his credit.’’
Fury said he got greedy, leading to Ngannou scoring a knockdown in the third round of his pro boxing debut.
“With his limited boxing experienced, he doesn’t really have the ability to,’’ Fury said of Ngannou. “After he’s landed and hurt someone, he doesn’t have the ability to set more shots up on an elite level boxer to get him out of there.
“But, hey, Anthony Joshua’s not as elusive as I am. Even on me worst not, he’s not as elusive as I am.”
There’s little mystery as to why Joshua and Ngannou will be fighting in Saudi Arabia instead of Las Vegas.
Follow the money.
Ngannou passed on a three-fight, $8 million contract with the UFC. Then he reportedly made at least $10 million for his pro debut against Tyson Fury, according to Fury, and is set for another hefty payday for his fight against Joshua.
The Saudis are particularly enchanted with the top-ranked heavyweights.
Fox Sports Australia reported Joshua and Ngannou will be paid more than $70 million combined.
“It will soon be the fight capital of the world,’’ veteran boxing promoter Frank Warren told the London Times.
The main event may be scheduled for early evening Friday in the U.S., but it will be the wee hours of the morning local time. Riyadh is eight hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (GMT+3), meaning it was 7 p.m. when the preliminary fights began and will be approximately 1:50 a.m. Saturday when the main event gets underway.
Joshua is favored to defeat Ngannou, according to the BetMGM odds.
- Win Outright: Joshua (-450); Ngannou (+320)
- Win by KO/TKO: Joshua (-190); Ngannou (+380)
- Win by points or Decision: Joshua (+400); Ngannou (+2,200)
Main card
- Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou, 10 rounds, heavyweight
- Zhilei Zhang vs. Joseph Parker, 12 rounds, heavyweight – Zhang’s interim WBO heavyweight title
- Rey Vargas vs. Nick Ball, 12 rounds, featherweight – Vargas’ WBC featherweight title
- Israil Madrimov vs. Magomed Kurbanov, 12 rounds, super welterweight – vacant WBA title
- Mark Chamberlain vs. Gavin Gwynne, 12 rounds, lightweight
- Justis Huni vs. Kevin Lerena, 10 rounds, heavyweight
Preliminary card
Roman Fury, younger brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, improved to 4-0 with a victory by decision over Martin Svarc (2-2) of the Czech Republic in a four-round heavyweight bout.
Fury, 27, made his pro boxing debut in 2022.
Christian Lopez Flores of Mexico lost his 16th straight bout, with the latest defeat coming to Ziyad Almaayouf in a super lightweight bout.
But Flores (14-36-2) has significant work ahead to make history. Precisely, he will need 35 more consecutive losses to match the 51-fight losing streak stitched together by Robin Deakin of England between 2007 and 2015. Deakin, who fought in the super lightweight division, finished his career with a record of 2-53.
Almaayouf, who was born in Saudi Arabia but lives in Los Angeles, improved to 5-0 with a victory by unanimous decision over Christian Lopez Flores in a six-round super lightweight fight.
In a matchup with two Brits, Greene stopped McGann with a first-round TKO. Greene improved to 17-4 and McGann, a former MMA fighter, fell to 9-1-1.
Novytskyi won via third-round KO.
Many fans are eager to make a profit by predicting the winner of the contest, including Canadian rapper Drake, who is notorious for placing large sums of money on sports bets. In this particular instance, Drake wagered an astonishing $615,000 on newcomer Ngannou to triumph over Joshua.
Read more about Drake’s bet.
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
