Pro fighters react after Francis Ngannou books boxing match with Anthony Joshua

Several pro fighters have reacted after news broke that Francis Ngannou will be boxing Anthony Joshua this coming March.

It was just yesterday afternoon when MMA journalist Ariel Helwani announced that the former UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou (0-1), had booked his second professional boxing bout against former WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (27-3).

The ‘Ngannou vs. Joshua’ fight will be contested over ten rounds and take place on March 9 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Francis Ngannou (17-3 MMA) of course made his professional boxing debut this past October when he squared off with reigning WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Despite being an enormous betting underdog, ‘The Predator’ shocked the world by knocking down ‘The Gypsy King’ and taking the fight to the judges’ scorecards. Although he wound up suffering a split decision defeat, Ngannou’s stock only rose in the controversial setback.

As for Anthony Joshua, the British heavyweight most recently competed a last month’s ‘Day of Reckoning’ event, where he scored a fifth-round TKO victory over Otto Wallin (see that here). That finish marked Joshua’s third win in a row, as he had previously scored victories over Robert Helenius and Jermaine Franklin.

Following the blockbuster ‘Ngannou vs. Joshua’ announcement, several pro fighters took to ‘X‘ where they shared their respective thoughts on the booking.

Check out those reactions below:

Whaaaat? Wow did not expect that! https://t.co/gbk7M4bzi3

— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) January 5, 2024

“Whaaaat? Wow did not expect that!” – Matt Brown.

Whoooooa! @francis_ngannou v Joshua is Official!! First he took out Fury is Joshua next? 👀 https://t.co/XbmnRSQXcK

— Brendan Schaub (@BrendanSchaub) January 5, 2024

“Whoooooa! Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua is Official!! First he took out Fury is Joshua next?” – Brendan Schaub.

Wow. Mannnnn good for Francis 💰💰💰 https://t.co/QxmQBDbrP3

— Randy Costa (@RandyCosta135) January 5, 2024

“Wow. Mannnnn good for Francis $$$” – Randy Costa.

Francis Ngannou fighting Anthony Joshua in his 2nd boxing match its gangster af!

He's fighting guys who won't even fight each other 😅 pic.twitter.com/UujW6qvsJ4

— Megan Anderson (@MeganAnderson) January 5, 2024

“Francis Ngannou fighting Anthony Joshua in his 2nd boxing match its gangster af! He’s fighting guys who won’t even fight each other.” – Megan Anderson.

Fair play to Francis ngannou, two heavyweight top dogs back to back 👏🏼👏🏼

— Arnold billy allen (@Arnoldbfa) January 5, 2024

“Fair play to Francis ngannou, two heavyweight top dogs back to back.” – Arnold Allen.

Francis Ngannou is one of the greatest sports stories ever.

— Sean O'Connell (@realOCsports) January 5, 2024

“Francis Ngannou is one of the greatest sports stories ever.” – Sean O’Connell.

Confirmed: @anthonyjoshua vs @francis_ngannou is signed to take place during @RiyadhSeason 🔥

Fight date and Kick-off press conference details to be released next week! #JoshuaNgannou @Turki_alalshikh | @Queensberry pic.twitter.com/igCl6Jfq9Z

— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) January 5, 2024

Do you think Francis Ngannou will be able to upset Anthony Joshua when the pair collide on March 9 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia?