Francis Ngannou will return to the boxing ring later TODAY (Fri., March 8, 2024) for just the second time to face off against Anthony Joshua live on DAZN (stream it here) at “Knockout Chaos” in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which has become the new hub for all big fights. The winner will be in line to face off against the man who comes out on top of the upcoming championship showdown between Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk.
What’s Hot:
Ngannou may have lost to Tyson Fury, but he impressed the heck out of everybody — “Gypsy King” included — for his performance, which saw him knock down the long-time boxer. That was “The Predator’s” official introduction into “The Sweet Science,” and he more than proved any naysayers wrong. In his sophomore effort in boxing, the Cameroonian isn’t taking a step back because he will face another former champion in Joshua. Talk about being thrown into the fire. Ngannou has the chance to make history today, and perhaps delay his eventual return to mixed martial arts (MMA) even further, but he can’t rely on the success he had against Fury and get too overconfident against a hard-hitting knockout machine like Joshua.
Since losing his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO Heavyweight titles to Oleksandr Usyk — and then failing to win them back in the rematch — Joshua went on to win his next three fights. Joshua has gone on record to say that he no longer sees Ngannou as just an MMA fighter, which is big props from such an established veteran of the sport. But, the fact remains, Joshua is leaps and bounds more skilled than “The Predator.” Ngannou now has much more confidence going into his second boxing fight. And credit to the hard-hitting big man because who else can say their first two fights in the sport came against Fury and Joshua? The answer is … Ngannou. If “The Predator” can pull off the major upset — like he almost did against Fury — the boxing world will be turned upside-down and a new Sheriff will be sworn in. Sure, he won’t be champion — that opportunity will come if he wins — but Ngannou will be able to write his own ticket moving forward, which could potentially mean the end of his MMA career for good.
What’s Not:
Joshua and Fury have had their dominant years, teasing a fight against each other for some time now. But despite being close, a fight between the two never materialized. Yet, here comes Ngannou and he faces them both in his first two fights as a professional. I understand that boxing politics always come into play, but if “The Predator” can face those two behemoths of the boxing game as a newcomer, then there really is no true reason for a fight between Fury and Joshua to have never happened. Help me make that make sense. What’s next … Ngannou will face Deontay Wilder before Joshua does? At this rate I wouldn’t be surprised.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
A WBA Super Welterweight title fight between Israil Madrimov vs. Magomed Kurbanov was on the brink of getting canceled after Madrimov’s medical test showed an anomaly. Thankfully, after a second round of testing everything was cleared up and the fight will proceed. Undefeated at 9-0-1, Madrimov is on the quest for gold after once holding the Intercontinental title. With a 60 percent finish rate, Madrimov has proven to have legitimate knockout power, but so does Kurbanov. At 25-0, “The Black Lion” has knocked out half of his opponents with nine of those finishes coming in less than four rounds. The winner gets the vacant strap and a bigger fight in his next outing.
Undefeated (14-0) Lightweight sensation, Mark Chamberlain, will attempt to pick up his fifteenth straight win when he goes toe-to-toe against British brawler, Gavin Gwynne. Chamberlain waded into boxing as a professional six years ago, but has already racked up 10 knockouts (six in the first round). So, it is clear that his main objective is to get in and get out without breaking a sweat. Against Gwynne, he faces a skilled fighter, but he hasn’t exactly proven to have lights-out power in his hands. He does have a lot of championship fight experience, though, so it would behoove Chamberlain to not take him lightly.
In the other Heavyweight fight, 28-year-old Ukrainian big man, Andrii Novytskyi, will attempt to up his undefeated win streak to 10-0. With a 90 percent finish rate thus far, Novytskyi also likes to get the job done early, with all of his stoppage wins never going past round four. His opponent, Juan Torres, is pretty much leaning toward journeyman status because with a record of 11-5, getting to the top seems like an insurmountable task. That’s not to say he can’t accomplish it, it’s just that he hasn’t shown much consistency in the victory department. But, if he can hand Novytskyi his first-ever defeat it would be a much-needed boost of confidence for his career.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
Joshua will have a hard time living it down if he loses to a novice boxer. He has been boxing professionally for more than one decade and won many world titles, while Ngannou started just last year. “The Predator” showed he has the power to put anyone on their butt, and Andy Ruiz Jr. showed that Joshua can be stopped with powerful shots. Joshua simply cannot lose this fight if he wants his career trajectory to keep trending upward and to salvage a potential third fight against Usyk, or a much-desired big-money showdown against Fury.
Interest Level: 7.5/10
In the co-main event, interim WBO Heavyweight champion, Zhang Zhilei, will be taking on Joseph Parker, who is coming off the biggest win of his career by defeating Deontay Wilder to close out 2023 (see it again here). Parker is the younger fighter of the two at 32 years of age compared to the 40 year-old Zhang. Parker is currently riding a four-fight win streak and has won 10 of his last 11 fights, including back-to-back wins over longtime veteran, Derek Chisora. With another impressive win, Parker intends to cut the line over the winner of Joshua-Ngannou against Usyk or Fury. But Zhang doesn’t intend to go out easy because he is coming in hot after back-to-back knockout wins over Joe Joyce. A win over Parker puts him in the championship conversation.
WBC Featherweight champion, Rey Vargas, will defend his title against undefeated sensation, Nick Ball, who is 19-0 in his professional career. Vargas suffered the first loss of his career in his previous bout, coming up short against O’Shaquie Foster, failing to win the vacant WBC Super Featherweight strap. He will look to erase that memory by securing his first-ever title defense against a man who knows nothing but winning. Ball has 11 knockouts on his resume, so he knows a thing or two about putting on a show. The 27-year-old Brit is the current WBC Silver Featherweight champion and is now out to claim another strap for his mantle.
All in all it should be an entertaining card, but all eyes will obviously be on the main course. If Ngannou can shock the world, then his stock will get a big boost (and has more to rub in Dana’s face), and will put him one more win away from a world title fight. The headlines will write themselves, the millions will keep pouring in for “The Predator” and the, “I told you so” opportunities will be plenty. Ngannou has proven he is already a winner, now he is ready to take that big next step in his career.
Full Joshua vs. Ngannou Fight Card:
Main Event
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou Heavyweight
Co-Main Event
Zhilei Zhang vs. Joseph Parker WBO interim Heavyweight title fight
Undercard
Rey Vargas vs. Nick Ball WBC Featherweight title fight
Israil Madrimov vs. Magomed Kurbanov, vacant WBA Super Welterweight title fight
Mark Chamberlain vs. Gavin Gwynne Lightweight
Andrii Novytskyi vs. Juan Torres Heavyweight
For more on Ngannou’s upcoming fight against Joshua click here.
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