The heavyweight division is gambling with its livelihood once more as reports indicate Anthony Joshua will fight Francis Ngannou in a money-spinning bout on March 8. Ngannou’s first match in professional boxing saw him lose narrowly by split-decision against WBC champion Tyson Fury, yet the Cameroonian’s performance had been deemed so commendable that he has now managed to land a fight against another top heavyweight.
Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24 KO’s) recently recorded a dominant stoppage victory over Otto Wallin (26-2, 14 KO’s) on December 23rd and has opted to fight Francis Ngannou (0-1, 0 KO’s) rather than any other available heavyweight. Earlier this week, Eddie Hearn had deemed Ngannou to be one of three potential opponents Joshua could face next.
With the decision to face Ngannou, Joshua placed himself firmly in a high-risk, high-reward situation as the match will undoubtedly generate plenty of interest yet Joshua will be putting his entire career and accomplishments at stake against what is essentially a novice professional boxer. Despite just one fight, a loss to Fury―on his record―Ngannou remains a threat due to his combat skills having clearly shown to translate well to boxing judging by his professional debut.
Ngannou, 37, seems eager to embark on a mission to uproot the heavyweight division as a whole and has shown no qualms to face a top-rated heavyweight in Anthony Joshua. Backed by his status in sports overall and his previous performance, the Cameroonian heavyweight has set himself apart from other heavyweight contenders who might have hoped to land a fight with Joshua themselves.
The decision to make a fight between the two heavyweights does raise some questions regarding the legitimately of the heavyweight division as Ngannou, who should be considered a part-time boxer due to his contract with MMA promotion PFL, has thus far received at least two opportunities to fight renowned heavyweights despite having barely participated in professional boxing.
While other heavyweights do not hold the same name as Ngannou, the majority of contenders have toiled within the sport for years without ever having received the opportunity to fight the likes of Joshua and Fury. The match-up seems to gradually pinpoint the lack of competitiveness within the heavyweight division with top-rated heavyweights fighting each other less and less. The ‘Day of Reckoning’ event certainly illustrated the division well, with only four out of a total of twelve heavyweights in the top 10/15 having fought each other on December 23rd.
With not only Joshua’s own credibility but also the reputation of the heavyweight division on the line, Joshua will once more be facing a heap of pressure to overcome the fearsome Ngannou whose last showing on October 28th has shown the heavyweights there might be a new ‘dark horse’ not just on the rise, but willing to beat anyone in order to claim the top spot as the heavyweight king.
