SUMMARY
- Francis Ngannou will face Anthony Joshua on March 8, 2024, in Saudi Arabia.
- Check out the broadcasting details and the expected start time of the heavyweight battle between Joshua and Ngannou.
After taking the boxing world by storm, Francis Ngannou is set to venture out to the ring again. This time, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion will face another star boxing heavyweight – Anthony Joshua. Francis Ngannou made his debut in October 2023 against Tyson Fury. The Britisher was rocked by Ngannou but somehow emerged victorious via decision.
Despite the loss, Ngannou’s statement of intent was made. He had announced his arrival to the boxing scene and demanded strong opponents. Who better than the two-time former unified world heavyweight champion – Joshua?
The Warford-born fighter’s most recent outing came against Otto Wallin on December 23, 2023. He won the bout via TKO to bring up a three-win streak. On the other hand, Ngannou faced his sole defeat on his debut against Fury on October 28, 2023, via a controversial split decision.
🔥 March 8 in Saudi is a very good card
Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou
Zhilei Zhang-Joseph Parker
Rey Vargas-Nick Ball
Israil Madrimov-Magomed Kurbanov
Justis Huni-Kevin Lerena
Mark Chamberlain-Gavin Gwynne pic.twitter.com/isYJPA0wCJ— EverythingBoxing (@EverythingBoxi2) February 25, 2024
Joshua and Ngannou will go head-to-head on March 8, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Both boxers’ previous outings were in the same city. The undercard features exciting bouts as well including Zhilei Zhang vs Joseph Parker for the WBO interim heavyweight title and Rey Vargas vs Nick Ball for the WBC featherweight title. Let’s take a look at what time the main event will begin in several different countries.
What time will Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua begin in the USA, Canada, India, and Saudi Arabia?
It has been confirmed that the PPV can be bought through the official website of DAZN. The DAZN PPV is for worldwide viewership and you can buy it from whichever country you are in. However, the official time of the event has not been confirmed.
‼️ The DAZN UK PPV price for Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou on March 8th will be £19.99 – this includes one month’s DAZN subscription. For existing DAZN subscribers, the UK PPV price will be £18.99.
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) February 21, 2024
Reports suggest that the undercard could begin at 2 pm ET and the main card walkouts could begin by around 6 pm ET in the USA and Canada (Ottawa time). Let’s see how that converts to time in other countries.
In Mexico, the main event is expected to begin at 5:00 PM CST on March 8, 2024. In India, the fight is set to begin in the early hours of Saturday. The main event walkouts are expected at around 4:30 AM IST on March 9, 2024. The host country, Saudi Arabia, will have a long night. The main event is expected to go into Saturday as the local time might touch around 2:00 AM AST on March 9, 2024. It was similarly late for Ngannou’s debut in October.
What time will Ngannou vs. Anthony begin in the UK and other countries?
When it comes to Joshua’s home country, England, the Watford-born athlete could be making his walkout at around 11:00 pm GMT. Joshua’s father is said to have Nigerian and Irish ancestry. The two countries might also be invested in the heavyweight bout. In Nigeria, the main event is expected to begin at 12:00 AM WAT on March 9, 2024. In Ireland, which follows GMT, the time will be 11:00 PM on March 8, 2024.
The big K.O is almost here 🥊
Anthony Joshua VS Francis Ngannou in #KnockoutChaos
LET THE GAME BEGIN 🔥📍 Kingdom Arena 🇸🇦
🗓️ March 8
3 WEEKS TO GO 🔥 BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW BEFORE IT’S GAME OVER 🎟️https://t.co/kl3sSWgdLS#RiyadhSeason#BigTime pic.twitter.com/UfNdWFPmwa
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) February 19, 2024
Moving to Ngannou’s home countries. In Cameroon, they follow WAT, similar to Nigeria. The fight, in Cameroon, is expected to start at midnight WAT on Saturday. In France, assuming Central European Time – CET, the fight may begin at 12:00 AM CET on March 9, 2024. CET also applies to other European countries such as Spain, Germany, and Italy.
Moreover, in Ukraine, the walkouts are set to begin at 1:00 AM EET on March 9, 2024. EET also applies to Bulgaria and Greece. In Russia (Moscow Time, MSK), the fight is expected to begin at 2:00 AM MSK on March 9, 2024.
