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Eddie Hearn has announced that Anthony Joshua’s next fight will be against MMA icon Francis Ngannou, who came close to upsetting Tyson Fury last year.
Joshua is on his way back from losing his heavyweight belt to Oleksandr Usyk.
He fought three times in a calendar year in 2023 for the first time since 2016 and won all of his bouts against Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin to get back on track.
His latest win over Wallin was a precursor to a blockbuster fight with Deontay Wilder.
Anthony Joshua’s next fight has been confirmed
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The two heavyweights had teased a deal in Saudi Arabia, but the deal fell apart following Wilder’s humiliating defeat to Joseph Parker.
A fight against IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic was seen as an alternative possibility, with Fury and Usyk expected to vacate that belt after their first fight next month.
However, Hearn has now announced that Joshua will face 10 rounds against Ngannou in Saudi Arabia as his next fight.
He wrote on X: “Tonight we confirm it’s a done deal! @anthonyjoshua vs @fransis_ngannou on a big night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – press conference in London on January 15, full details to be announced soon.
The deal is another major coup for Saudi Arabia, where Usyk and Fury’s undisputed heavyweight fight will also take place in February.
Joshua will also have to be careful as Ngannou shocked the world by putting Fury on the canvas in his last fight.
But Hearn doesn’t seem worried about the ex-UFC champion and doubts whether he’ll ever win a boxing title.
The boxing promoter said: “If you look at him in the pads – I don’t want to be disrespectful – but there’s no way in the world that Francis Ngannou can even win the Southern Region title.
“Johnny Fisher is our boy, Southern Region champion.
Francis Ngannou almost defeated Tyson Fury last time
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“Johnny Fisher vs. Ngannou is a complete mismatch, Fisher will knock him out in one round.”
Joshua’s ultimate goal is to eventually win back his lost heavyweight belt and could eventually lead to an all-British clash with Fury if the ‘Gypsy King’ defeats Usyk.
But Joshua wasn’t too impressed with Fury’s performance against Ngannou last year, mocking his opponent for being knocked out.
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Anthony Joshua originally set to fight Deontay Wilder
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He said: “Bodybuilder is up, Dodger is down. He looked just like a flat guy who can’t fight. He says bodybuilders can’t fight, but one knocked him out.
“I’ve always wanted to get in the ring with him. He talks a lot, calls me a bodybuilder and all that.
“It’s tough at the top. It’s one thing to get there but it’s another to stay there and he’s starting to see. It’s not easy.”
“Still good luck to him, but he’s got to stop running his mouth because it comes back and bites you.”
