Just lately, it’s very much been a case of, whatever the Saudi’s want as far as a big fight taking place, the Saudis have got. Or, more to the point, the mega-mega-rich Turki Alalshikh has been getting what he wants. And for us fight fans, it’s been great, the stacked cards a genuine treat to watch. Next up in Riyadh, it will be the “Knockout Chaos” card of March 8, topped by Anthony Joshua Vs. Francis Ngannou.
And Alalshikh has an even grander plan/fight in mind for after that one. As he made clear at yesterday’s presser in London, Alalshikh wants the winner of the Joshua-Ngannou fight to then challenge the winner of the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk fight – the historic, four-belt unification showdown scheduled to take place in Riyadh on February 17.
Now, there is as we know a rematch clause in place for Fury and Usyk to fight twice, so this could take up a good deal of this year. But the massive battle of winners Alalshikh wants to see would be, well, it would be colossal. And it could prove to be history-making in a whole different way.
If Ngannou were to defeat Joshua (and plenty of good judges feel he may well do so), the former UFC heavyweight champion would, if Alalshikh gets what he wants, be challenging for the world heavyweight title in just his third pro fight! Just let that sink in……..
Ngannou, who with a win over AJ would be 1-1 (the loss coming via split decision against Fury as we know; this a fight some feel Ngannou won), would have a shot at making an almost ridiculous piece of boxing history, the kind no man has ever come close to making.
Undisputed heavyweight king after just three fights! Really, the mind boggles. But Ngannou could be a one of a kind, a genuine, once-in-a-lifetime, one-off. Maybe he has already proven he is just that. “I have always done crazy stuff, are you not aware of it?” Ngannou said at yesterday’s press conference. If Ngannou were to defeat Joshua, either by KO or by decision (neither result can be written off, at all), he would be in an incredible position. Ngannou has made it clear he wants to fight Fury again, with the MMA great saying he has a big sense of “unfinished business” with regards to the way the Fury fight went in October. If Fury beats Usyk, and Fury is perhaps a 60-40 favourite over the former cruiserweight king, and if Alalshikh gets his way, we could then see Fury-Ngannou II, for all the marbles, for all the glory.
Did I say the mind boggles? It really does.
Politics aside (and long-time IBF mandatory challenger at heavyweight, Filip Hrgovic would have to be compensated if the Fury-Usyk winner did not fight him), we could see some crazy stuff, some historic stuff, some wholly unpredictable stuff, happening in the heavyweight division this year.
But first Ngannou has to defeat Joshua. Can he do it, and if he can, can Ngannou go on to beat either Fury or Usyk? Really, is Francis Ngannou making us ask such questions!?