Anthony Joshua has been handed a blow before his bout with Francis Ngannou in March.
The Englishman will take on the former MMA fighter in a heavyweight division match in Saudi Arabia. But even if he wins, he may not take on the victor of Tyson Fury’s unification fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
The Ukrainian beat Joshua in 2021 to take his WBO, IBF, and WBA belts in 2021, before he on a rematch the following year. Since then, Joshua has beaten Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin.
He is now building up to take on Ngannou, who controversially lost to Fury in December, though many pundits felt he should have been named the winner. But the Englishman will be forced to reconcile with the fact he might have to wait before facing Fury or Usyk.
“I’ll tell you what is in my mind. If Ngannou win then he will have a rematch against the champion,” Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Entertainment said.
“If Joshua win and the way of the winner of Tyson/Usyk, it will be long time because they will have rematch. We are thinking and discussing with Joshua camp and Hrgovic camp to maybe have a fight between them. I guarantee Usyk and he has my word, of two more big fights.”
Despite the wretched time he has endured over recent years, Joshua has insisted he is at the top of his game. He has also hinted that he is aiming to reclaim the belts he lost to Usyk three years ago.
“I’ve never left! I’ll always be [there]. From the minute I’ve laced up these gloves from the amateurs until now, I’ve managed to keep my name at the top of the amateur scene and the professional scene,” Joshua told Sky News.
“It’s just the truth, it’s just how it is, and I think it’ll be that way until I don’t want to fight anymore. For the fans at home they just want to see matches. At the same time, it’s like ‘I don’t care, just get the fight done’.
“You will never know what it’s like or what it feels like to be a champion until you become one and, for me, belts will always matter because it’s something that you set your goals out to achieve as a little kid. If you are a tennis fan you win your trophies, footballer you win a trophy, boxing you win a title.”
While Joshua’s confidence is riding high, Ngannou will not make it easy for his opponent. The 37-year-old is adamant he can beat Joshua, having demanded he get the chance to face the Englishman.
“Maybe make him look ordinary. When extraordinary people meet, they might just look ordinary. Of course, I think I can beat him,” Ngannou said when the fight was announced.
“I called for the fight and I’m here really to beat him and that’s why I came over here. I’ve been calling for those fights for four years. I’m not here to show up, I’m here to take over.”
