Turki Alalshikh reveals plans to add heavyweight contender to Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou undercard
It appears that Filip Hrgovic will likely be added to the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou undercard.
'AJ' and 'The Predator' are currently slated to clash on March 8 in Saudi Arabia. The heavyweight clash famously came together thanks to Deontay Wilder's upset loss at the hands of Joseph Parker in December. Following the defeat of 'The Bronze Bomber', Ngannou was slotted in to face Joshua.
In keeping with previous Saudi Arabia events, this card is also expected to be stacked. There are a variety of other interesting matchups set for the card as of now. However, it's clear that Turki Alalshikh and company aren't done yet.
Speaking on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani earlier this week, the Saudi advisor discussed Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou. There, Alalshikh revealed that they had offered rising heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic several fights.
'Stoneman' is currently undefeated at 17-0 and last knocked out Mark de Mori in December. It's clear that Alalshikh wants to add him to next month's event, going as far as offering him six different opponents.
Speaking in the interview, the promoter revealed (via Boxing Social):
“I give him the option to fight on the undercard on March 8. Hrgovic [Daniel] Dubois, Hrgovic [Martin] Bakole, Hrgovic [Frank] Sanchez, Hrgovic [Jarrell] Miller, [Agit] Kabayel Hrgovic, Hrgovic Jared Anderson. If both of them accept we are ready to deliver the fight to the fans on March 8. We are not playing.”
Check out his comments below (8:50):
Who else is expected to fight on the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou undercard?
As previously stated, the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou undercard is fantastic.
Obviously, the main event featuring 'AJ' and 'The Predator' is the main draw for most fans. Still, there's a lot of great matchups already announced for the March 8 event.
In the co-main event, Zhilei Zhang will look to defend his WBO interim heavyweight title against Joseph Parker. 'Big Bang' is coming off back-to-back wins over Joe Joyce, while the Australian last upset Deontay Wilder in December.
Also slated for the card is a WBC featherweight championship bout between Nick Ball and Rey Vargas. They will be accompanied by the return of light-heavyweight prospect Mark Chamberlain, who will face Gavin Gwynne.
It's worth noting that those three matchups are the only ones finalized for the card as of now. However, there are other fighters linked to the card without an opponent, such as Roman Fury.