KINGDOM ARENA, RIYADH — In a seismic battle of heavyweight knockout artists, former two-time unified boxing champion Anthony Joshua takes on former UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou at the Kingdom Arena on March 8.
Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) is the favourite, thanks to his massive edge in boxing experience. During a 10-year pro career, the 34-year-old Brit has defeated a who’s who of heavyweight luminaries, including Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, Andy Ruiz, Alexander Povetkin and Dillian Whyte. Can AJ become the first man to take out Ngannou?
“People have never put a dent in him, so don’t bank on putting a dent in him because you’re gonna fall short,” said Joshua during fight week. “You’ve gotta find another way. That’s why I always say there are so many ways to skin a cat.”
WATCH: Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou, exclusively live on DAZN
Ngannou (0-1) shocked the world in October when he floored WBC champion and consensus No. 1 Tyson Fury before losing a disputed 10-round decision. Can the 37-year-old power puncher go a step further and secure a knockout win over one of the best heavyweights of this generation?
“I don’t need to rush,” said Ngannou. “It’s not like if I miss [an early finish], I will lose the fight. I know that I can win the decision. I can still win if I don’t really catch him. I truly believe [I can win on points]. I [beat] Fury on points, so how can I not believe that? Even though it was a struggle in my mind, I came to believe that it was possible.”
The Sporting News will provide undercard results and a full report on the main event:
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou fight card
- Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou; heavyweights
- Zhilei Zhang (ic) vs. Joseph Parker for the interim WBO heavyweight title
- Rey Vargas (c) vs. Nick Ball for the WBC featherweight title
- Israil Madrimov vs. Magomed Kurbanov for the WBA super welterweight title
- Mark Chamberlain vs. Gavin Gwynne; lightweights
- Justis Huni def. Kevin Lerena (UD 10); heavyweights
- Louis Greene def. Jack McGann (TKO 1/10); super welterweights
- Roman Fury def. Martin Svarc (PTS 6); cruiserweights
- Ziyad Almaayouf def. Christian Lopez Flores (PTS 6); super lightweights
- Andrii Novytskyi def. Juan Torres (KO 3/8); heavyweights
What time is Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou today?
- Event start time: 10 a.m. ET | 9 a.m. CT | 7 a.m. PT
- Main event start time: approx. 6 p.m. ET | 5 p.m. CT | 3 p.m. PT
The card starts at 6 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET). Joshua and Ngannou should make their way to the ring around 2 a.m. local time (6 p.m. ET), depending on how long the undercard fights last.
Here’s a breakdown of Joshua vs. Ngannou start times worldwide:
| Region | Date | Start Time | Main Event Ring Walks (approx.) |
| Saudi Arabia (local) | Friday, March 8 | 6 p.m. AST | 2 a.m. AST |
| USA and Canada (ET) | Friday, March 8 | 10 a.m. ET | 6 p.m. ET |
| USA and Canada (CT) | Friday, March 8 | 9 a.m. CT | 5 p.m. CT |
| USA and Canada (PT) | Friday, March 8 | 7 a.m. PT | 3 p.m. PT |
| Puerto Rico | Friday, March 8 | 11 a.m. EDT | 7 p.m. EDT |
| UK and Ireland | Friday, March 8 | 3 p.m. GMT | 11 p.m. GMT |
| South Africa | Friday, March 8 | 5 p.m. SAST | 1 a.m. SAST |
| India | Friday, March 8 | 8:30 p.m. IST | 4:30 a.m. IST |
| Philippines | Friday, March 8 | 11 p.m. PST | 7 a.m. PST |
| Australia | Saturday, March 9 | 2 a.m. AEDT | 10 a.m. AEDT |
| New Zealand | Saturday, March 9 | 3 a.m. NZST | 11 a.m. NZST |
MORE: Are Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou fighting for a title?
How to watch Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou: TV channel, live stream
| Region | TV channel | Live streaming |
| USA | — | DAZN |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UK and Ireland | — | DAZN, Sky Sports PPV |
| Australia | — | DAZN |
The heavyweight fight will be on DAZN, with the streaming giant and Sky Sports PPV set to share the broadcast in the U.K.
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou PPV price
- U.S. PPV Price: $ 69.99
- U.K. PPV Price: £19.99
- For existing DAZN subscribers, the U.K. PPV price will be £18.99.
- DAZN monthly subscription: $ 19.99 on a 12-month contract or $ 24.99 month-to-month in U.S. / $ 24.99 per month in Canada / £9.99 in the U.K. on a 12-month contract or £19.99 month-to-month / 13.99 AUD
- DAZN annual subscription: $ 224.99 in U.S., $ 199.99 in Canada, £99.99 in the UK.
