Anthony Joshua takes on Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 8, and the Brit has explained why it is the former UFC heavyweight champion in the opposite corner, rather than Filip Hrgovic or Zhilei Zhang.
Joshua heads into the fight on the back of three wins in 2023, defeating Otto Wallin, Robert Helenius and Jermaine Franklin, with the win over Wallin coming in December.
Ngannou scored a third-round knockdown in his professional boxing debut against Tyson Fury in October, and is now being given another chance to prove himself at the highest level of a sport.
There were a number of other opponents touted as being next for Joshua, including Zhang, who following his emphatic third-round knockout win over Joe Joyce back in September, will now fight Joseph Parker for the WBO interim belt on the AJ-Ngannou undercard.
Hrgovic was another name mentioned, but during Joshua’s face off with Ngannou on DAZN, the Brit answered why it is the MMA star next.
“I wanted to fight for the championship; I wanted to lead my career towards the championship. This is still leading me towards the championship. [Ngannou’s] a boxer, so I have to win and, when I win, I’ll move on to fight for the championship.
“That’s boxing. Snakes and ladders – you win; you go up, you lose; you go down.”
While the titles are occupied by Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk – who face each other in an undisputed showdown on May 18 – there are plenty of hungry heavyweights who are patiently waiting for their opportunity.
With a future win over Hrgovic, Joshua would put himself in an IBF mandatory position for the winner of Fury vs Usyk. However, the two-time champion has opted for a different challenge, taking on Ngannou, who now enters only his second professional boxing bout.