Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou on March 8 has the makings of an awesome spectacle

Anthony Joshua taking on mixed martial artist Francis Ngannou in a boxing match is easily one of the more interesting sports announcements so far in 2024.

When you look at the former two-time, unified heavyweight champion Joshua and ex-UFC heavyweight king Ngannou - who are built like comic book superheroes and listed at 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-4, respectively - it's very difficult to imagine a fight between them going the distance.

Their bout is scheduled for 10 rounds on March 8 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Aside from what will undoubtedly be a huge payday worth the middle eastern trip for Joshua and Ngannou, the winner of their fight also comes away with momentum that places them in the conversation for next opponent for the winner between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk on Feb. 17, especially if the latter two do not immediately schedule a rematch.

In Joshua (27-3, 24 KO), there's a former WBO, IBF and WBA world champ who is riding a three-fight winning streak. The most recent of those victories came against Swedish southpaw Otto Wallin on Dec. 23, 2023, at Riyadh's Kingdom Arena. Wallin retired after five rounds, giving Joshua a win by technical knockout

(Photo : Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Anthony Joshua (right) lands a body shot on Otto Wallin (left) during their fight - billed "The Day of Reckoning: Fight Night" - at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Dec. 23, 2023.

For Ngannou (0-1), beating Joshua, 34, would be a massive coup, because Joshua - even if he retired today - is one of the best heavyweights of the past decade.

A win for Joshua over Ngannou, 37, is a win against the man who scored a third-round knockdown against Fury in a controversial split decision loss on Oct. 28, 2023.

No matter what you think of that particular outcome, though, Ngannou definitely proved his potential in the sport with an impressive showing against Fury, boxing's best heavyweight of the current era until proven otherwise.

But, that's the thing: Ngannou, in what was his pro boxing debut after a dominant reign atop the UFC's heavyweight division, nearly proved otherwise. And he nearly proved otherwise, in large part, because his power in a boxing ring is as devastating as it is in the octagon.

(Photo : Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Francis Ngannou (left) knocks down Tyson Fury (right) during their heavyweight fight at Boulevard Hall on October 28, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

For that reason, no one is going to make mention of Ngannou's lack of boxing experience if Joshua wins, because the latter will have beaten a legitimate heavyweight opponent who's more than capable of knocking him out cold.

It's an understatement to say that no one is going to blame Ngannou for losing a boxing match to someone with Joshua's resumé if such comes to pass. Conversely, no such mercy will be extended to Joshua if he loses this fight, especially if he does so in spectacular fashion.

In short, both men would get praised for winning on March 8, but only Joshua can ill afford a loss.

Joshua is easily taking the bigger risk here, considering the aforementioned threat Ngannou presents and the fact that he doesn't actually need to fight the former UFC heavyweight champion - certainly not for reasons related to rankings.

Ngannou, of Cameroon, has an entirely different sport to fall back on - you know, MMA - should his foray into boxing remain without victory through two efforts. Joshua doesn't have that luxury because he's the experienced, highly accomplished boxer going into the much-hyped event.

However, Joshua can convert this big risk into a big reward with his own power, and that's precisely what makes this fight so interesting.

In boxing, something this interesting often takes years to happen, if it happens at all.

We're getting this on short notice, and you'd have a hard time finding an actual boxing fan complaining about that.