Saudi Arabia will play host to yet another exciting contest this week when British heavyweight Anthony Joshua takes on former Mixed Martial Arts champion Francis Ngannou.
Ngannou was seen as a rank outsider when he squared off against unbeaten WBC belt holder Tyson Fury last October in the kingdom.
Fury was expected to dominate Ngannou, despite not being in fighting shape for the contest. Instead, the British champion only just managed to avoid a huge upset in the crossover bout in Riyadh as he was forced to climb off the canvas in the third round before sealing a contentious split-decision victory.
Joshua, therefore, will be have to be careful when he takes on the Cameroonian, who was competing in a professional boxing bout for the first time when he went toe-to-toe with Fury.
Joshua 34, overpowered Otto Wallin at Riyadh's Kingdom Arena in December. There, Joshua gave one of his best performances with an impressive stoppage win.
While some see it only as a chance for Joshua to boost his bank balance, there remains a danger of the Briton hurting his chances of a third run at a world title if he loses to the 37-year-old Ngannou.
Either way, we will get to know for sure where both fighters stand in the world of boxing.
Knockout Chaos fight card
Joshua v Ngannou is not the only exciting heavyweight fight on the card. New Zealand's Joseph Parker is back following his impressive victory over Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia in December. He takes on Chinese giant Zhilei Zhang. Also, Britain's unbeaten Nick Ball takes on Rey Vargas for the WBC featherweight title.
Anthony Joshua v Francis Ngannou - heavyweight
Zhang Zhilei v Joseph Parker - WBO interim world heavyweight title
Rey Vargas v Nick Ball - WBC world featherweight title
Justis Huni v Kevin Lerena - heavyweight
Gavin Gwynne v Mark Chamberlain - lightweight
Jack McGann v Louis Green - super-welterweight
Andrii v TBA - heavyweight
Ziyad Almaayouf v TBA - super-lightweight
Roman Fury v TBA - cruiserweight
When and where is it?
Knockout Chaos takes place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Friday, March 8. Action starts at 7.30pm Saudi time (8.30pm UAE).
How to watch in UAE?
The fight will be shown on streaming platform DAZN. Fans can purchase access to the event for Dh 80.
Who said what
Joshua is looking to re-establish himself after losing his WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight belts to Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk in 2021. He has won his last three fights.
"I believe I can knock him out," Joshua told Sky Sports.
"Definitely. I would love to knock him out and make a statement. Physically, I feel strong, feeling good. Strong enough to get the job done and mentally I'm in a place where I'm ready for war. I'm looking forward to the challenge.
"Mentally, I don't worry so much about my opponent and look at what my opponent can bring to me and think, 'how can I overcome these challenges they present?' I work really hard to up my game and look forward to showing everything I've worked on."
Ngannou vacated his UFC heavyweight belt after a contract dispute, signing with the Professional Fighting League. He insists his lack of experience in boxing will not hold him back in Riyadh.
"I finished my training camp yesterday and I feel good," he told Sky Sports News.
"It has been a tough eight weeks to get here. I feel like I did everything that could be done.
"I believe if I land on anybody I knock them out. But the question is how to land, that is the hardest thing. How to carry that power and energy for 10 rounds and still be able to knock someone out after all the fatigue."
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Points Classification after Stage 1
1. Geraint Thomas (Britain / Team Sky) 20
2. Stefan Kueng (Switzerland / BMC Racing) 17
3. Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus / Team Sky) 15
4. Tony Martin (Germany / Katusha) 13
5. Matteo Trentin (Italy / Quick-Step) 11
6. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 10
7. Jos van Emden (Netherlands / LottoNL) 9
8. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland / Team Sky) 8
9. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 7
10. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway / Dimension Data) 6
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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57%20Seconds
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The%20specs
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MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 0 Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 55')
Man of the Match Allan (Everton)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (11.30pm)
Saturday Freiburg v Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund, Cologne v Wolfsburg, Arminia Bielefeld v Mainz (6.30pm) Bayern Munich v RB Leipzig (9.30pm)
Sunday Werder Bremen v Stuttgart (6.30pm), Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (9pm)
Monday Hoffenheim v Augsburg (11.30pm)
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (87')
Athletic Bilbao 1
Williams (14')
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
