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Francis Ngannou is set to make his return to the boxing ring.
A few months ago, Ngannou reportedly got paid $10 million to box Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia in what many felt was a close match.
Ariel Helwani is now reporting that the former UFC champion is set to box boxing champ Anthony Joshua in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“He is returning to action in a boxing match, later on this year to go up against the former heavyweight champion…the one and only Anthony Joshua.”
Breaking:
Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua is a done deal, per @Turki_alalshikh.
Ten-round boxing match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
More: pic.twitter.com/e6Hsc6Fh70
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 5, 2024
Joshua is currently coming off a big win against Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia and was set to fight Deontay Wilder, but Wilder lost his fight, which put a wrench in their plans.
It’ll be interesting to see when Ngannou fights Joshua. The current “Riyadh season” festival ends in March, and there is already a scheduled UFC event on March 2nd.
Best bet is that Joshua-Ngannou takes place in mid-March, before the current Riyadh season ends.
Expect Ngannou to make as much or more for his fight against Joshua than his previous fight against Fury.