Anthony Joshua puts a shot at the undisputed heavyweight title on the line on Friday night when he faces MMA legend Francis Ngannou in a fascinating crossover bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The two-time unified heavyweight champion is in line to face the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, meaning there is plenty of jeopardy when the 2012 Olympic champion meets the former UFC knockout artist in the centre of the ring.
Joshua (27-3) is on a three-fight winning streak, with his fifth-round stoppage victory over Otto Wallin in December widely rated as one of his best performances in several years. He faces an 0-1 Ngannou, who lost a razor-sharp split decision to Fury in November. The Cameroonian knocked the WBC heavyweight king down in the third round, and many pundits believed he did enough to pull off an almighty upset.
Joshua and his team have the benefit of 10 rounds of tape to comb through to create a gameplan, but Ngannou remains very much an unknown quantity as a boxer. His power is undeniable, but he also showed solid fundamentals when he pushed Fury every step of the way in Riyadh.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the big fight…
How to watch on TV, live steam and pay-per-view price
Viewers in the UK have two options to watch the fight. Sky Sports Box Office is broadcasting the event on TV, while DAZN is offering the fight on its app.
The pay-per-view is available for £19.95 on Sky Sports Box Office and £19.99 on DAZN, with existing DAZN customers able to buy the fight for £18.99.
Odds
Joshua is a 1/4 favourite to win the fight with SkyBet, while Ngannou is priced 3/1. The draw is available at 16/1. The odds give Joshua an implied chance of 76 per cent of winning the fight.
Joshua is 1/2 to win the fight inside the distance and 4/1 to take the victory on points, and an Ngannou knockout is priced at 3/1 and a points win is 20/1.
