Anthony Joshua v Francis Ngannou: An unnecessary risk for AJ or an easy payday?

Saudi Arabia's influence in heavyweight boxing increased further on Friday night when Anthony Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, announced the two-time world champion will face Francis Ngannou in his next fight in Riyadh.

Joshua last month headlined his third event in Saudi Arabia where he eased to a technical stoppage win over Otto Wallin in arguably his finest performance in recent years.

On the same bill, former WBC heavyweight king Deontay Wilder was expected to clean out Joseph Parker, himself an ex-world champion, to set up a long-awaited bout with long-time rival Joshua. But a shock defeat, that saw Parker utterly dominate the American over 12 rounds, scuppered those plans.

Instead, Joshua will take on former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou, who made his professional boxing debut in Saudi Arabia last October and almost shocked the world in a controversial loss to Tyson Fury.

"Tonight we confirm it’s a Done Deal! Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou collide on a huge night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia," Hearn wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday. "Press conference Jan 15 in London with full details dropping soon!"

March 9 has been mentioned as a possible date for the fight, although confirmation is expected to be made at the London press conference a week on Monday.

This is an intriguing match-up for Joshua and one that will add another layer to his and Saudi Arabia's boxing legacies.

On the one hand, this should be an easy payday for the 34-year-old Briton as the far more experienced and accomplished boxer; yet on the other, it could be an unnecessary risk for a fighter who just returned to world title contention after three wins in 2023.

That risk factor stems entirely from Ngannou's debut fight against Fury in Riyadh. The Cameroonian has long been known as one of the most ferocious punchers in MMA but few outside his own camp gave him any chance against the unbeaten WBC champion inside a boxing ring.

And yet, Ngannou sent Fury to the canvas in the third round and went toe-to-toe with his more celebrated opponent for 12 rounds. One judge gave Ngannou the fight but the other two sided with Fury, who narrowly escaped with a split decision victory.

The WBC reacted by giving Ngannou an official ranking and immediately placed the 37-year-old in the top 10.

Ngannou earned plenty of praise for his Rocky-esque performance, but while the 'Battle of the Baddest' event was great entertainment, in reality, the quality of the headline fight was sub-standard. Fury claimed he went through an intense 12-week training camp yet it was clear the Briton was out of shape and unfocused; the speed, ring craft, and slick combinations that so befuddled Wilder for three fights were nowhere to be seen.

Ultimately, Fury's poor display, coupled with rock-bottom pre-fight expectations, arguably made Ngannou look better than he is, and based solely on that fight, there is nothing Joshua would be too worried about.

Then again, in the world of heavyweight boxing, one clean hit can change the entire outcome of a fight – as Joshua knows only too well – and that element of jeopardy will no doubt be highlighted as part of a massive global marketing campaign to promote the fight.

In terms of matchmaking, there's plenty about this that makes sense. Surveying the heavyweight boxing landscape, there aren't many immediately available fights for Joshua that would generate as much interest, and certainly none as lucrative.

With Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, who beat Joshua twice to become and then remain the WBA, WBO and IBF champion, slated for an undisputed bout in Riyadh in February and then a potential rematch, any world title hopes will have to wait.

There might have been the possibility of a title showdown with Filip Hrgovic but that would depend on the IBF stripping the belt from February's winner if Fury and Usyk opted for a rematch.

There have also been calls for Joshua to take on Chinese powerhouse Zhilei Zhang after his impressive back-to-back wins over England's Joe Joyce, while the likes of Daniel Dubois and Parker, whom Joshua previously beat to become a unified champion, have also been mentioned as potential opponents.

While all credible fights, none would capture the public imagination - and as a consequence, generate anywhere near as much money for the organisers and fighters - as Joshua facing Ngannou.

So for Joshua, this should be a comfortable fight, for which he'll be handsomely paid while keeping himself ring-sharp for another crack at the world titles later in 2024. Yet, disaster still lurks at the end of Ngannou's punch – and that's why the world will tune in.

The specs

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Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Price: from Dh122,745

On sale: now

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UAE currency

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme

Priority access to new homes from participating developers
Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
Flexible payment plans from developers
Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

If you go

The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.

How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed

Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.

Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.

The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.

One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.

That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.

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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

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Price: From Dh1,700,000

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”