Breaking: Big heavyweight showdown reportedly in the works for Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou undercard
It appears as though the upcoming Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou event, scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Mar. 8., has become more intriguing. A big heavyweight showdown is reportedly in the works for the undercard.
Saudi Arabia has become the destination for world-class boxing as they have been successful in booking many fights that fans have been clamoring for, including the upcoming heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. Boxing journalist Mike Coppinger confirmed Declan Taylor's previous report that the undercard for Joshua vs. Ngannou will feature notable fighters in a heavyweight clash between Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang:
"Joseph Parker will fight Zhilei Zhang in the March 8 co-feature to Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, sources tell ESPN. Parker coming off dominant win over Deontay Wilder. Zhang scored back-to-back stoppage wins over Joe Joyce last year. Terrific co-main."
![Tweet regarding Parker vs. Zhang being booked [Image courtesy: @MikeCoppinger - X]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/01/af962-17053433726980-1920.jpg?w=500)
Parker has a professional record of 34-3, with 23 wins coming via KO/TKO, and is currently riding a four-fight winning streak that includes his impressive unanimous decision win over Deontay Wilder last month. Meanwhile, Zhang has a professional record of 26-1-1, with 21 wins coming via KO/TKO, which includes his most recent wins over Joe Joyce.
Saudi Arabia has emerged as a real player in the combat sports market in the past year as they have hosted a number of massive boxing events and will be doing the same in MMA with the upcoming UFC Fight Night card and PFL vs. Bellator event. The organizers have proven that they are committed to putting together the biggest fights possible and making Riyadh a competitor with the likes of Las Vegas and London for hosting massive boxing events.
The heavyweight division has been quite active as of late, with Fury vs. Usyk and Joshua vs. Ngannou taking place within a month from each other, so it will be interesting to see who the winner of Parker vs. Zhang gets matched up with next.