Anthony Joshua may not have landed a clash against Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder, but he managed to secure another marquee opponent instead. 

Joshua will face Francis Ngannou in a likely 10-round bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, it was confirmed Friday evening. Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority made the announcement on his social media account.

Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua, stated an official announcement will be made on January 15 in London.

“Tonight we confirm it’s a Done Deal! @anthonyjoshua v. @francis_ngannou collide in a huge night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” stated Hearn in a post on Twitter. “-press conference Jan 15 in London with full details dropping soon! #JoshuaNgannou @Turki_alalshikh @MatchroomBoxing @Queensbury #RiyadhSeason”

No official date has been announced, but March 8 and 9 have been the speculated dates for the Joshua-Ngannou fight to take place.

Joshua (27-3, 24 knockouts), who resides in Watford, England, last fought on December 23, also in Riyadh, which headlined a ‘Day of Reckoning’ card. Joshua, who is ranked No. 2 by The Ring at heavyweight, dominated contender Otto Wallin, forcing Wallin to remain on his stool after round five. Wallin likely suffered a broken nose during the fight.

The win over Wallin is Joshua’s third consecutive victory since losing by split-decision to Oleksandr Usyk in August 2022. 

Joshua is a former world unified titleholder, who has had trainer Derrick James in his corner. For the Wallin fight, trainer Ben Davison worked Joshua’s corner. 

The 34-year-old was penciled to face Deontay Wilder in a long-awaited showdown later this year. Wilder fought Joseph Parker on the same ‘Day of Reckoning’ card, losing a one-sided decision to the former world titleholder. 

Ngannou almost pulled off a significant upset in his only boxing fight on October 28, losing a split-decision to Tyson Fury. Ngannou scored a knockdown in round three and outboxed Fury throughout the fight.

The 37-year-old Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, is originally from Batie, Cameroon and now lives and trains in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

The March fight between Joshua and Ngannou is the latest in a series of recent high-profile fight cards to take place in Saudi Arabia. The February 17 clash between Fury and Usyk, the Ring Magazine heavyweight champion, will also take place in Riyadh.

Should each come out victorious, Fury and Joshua could meet in an all-Britain clash that could sell out soccer stadiums in the United Kingdom or in Saudi Arabia. 

No word yet on what platform the Joshua-Ngannou fight will be streamed.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

Follow @FSalazarBoxing

READ THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE RING FOR FREE VIA THE NEW APP NOW. SUBSCRIBE NOW TO ACCESS MORE THAN 10 YEARS OF BACK ISSUES.