Francis Ngannou vs Anthony Joshua live scores: updates, highlights and blow-by-blow analysis

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RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - MARCH 07: Anthony Joshua (L) and Francis Ngannou (R) interact during the weigh-in ahead of their
Francis Ngannou starts his boxing career in the hardest way possible. Next up is Anthony Joshua. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Francis Ngannou suffered perhaps the best defeat ever in his professional boxing debut. Now he has Anthony Joshua.

The former UFC heavyweight champion will face the former unified heavyweight champion in a 10-round match Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, five months after Ngannou earned the respect of the boxing world with a split decision loss to WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Ngannou entered that Fury match as an underdog against the champion — one promoter called the match “a disgrace” — but he differentiated himself from the many MMA fighters-turned-boxers with a performance that wouldn’t have seemed displaced from a seasoned heavyweight contender. He managed to knock Fury down in the third round and had the crowd chanting his name in the final round.

The Cameroonian is once again an underdog against Joshua, but much closer at +230 on BetMGM (he was +800 against Fury).

Meanwhile, Joshua comes into this fight at an interesting time in his career. It’s been 2 1/2 years since he lost his titles to Oleksandr Usyk and 18 months since he fell in the rematch. Since then, he has three straight wins over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin, but he will probably have to wait a bit if he ever wants another title shot. For now, he has boxing’s new rising star, Ngannou, and the salary that comes with him.

The co-main event features an intriguing clash between WBO interim heavyweight champion Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker. WBC featherweight champion Rey Vargas faces undefeated prospect Nick Ball on the undercard.

Follow our live blog below as the fight unfolds in Saudi Arabia:

Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua full card results, odds (11 a.m. ET start time, DAZN PPV)

Heavyweight: Anthony Joshua (-300) vs. Francis Ngannou (+240)
Heavyweight: Zhilei Zhang (-225) vs. Joseph Parker (+188)
Super welterweight championship: Israil Madrimov (-400) against Magomed Kurbanov (+300)
Featherweight Championship: Rey Vargas vs. Nick Ball
Lightweight: Gavin Gwynne (-300) vs. Mark Chamberlain (+250)
Super welterweight: Jack McGann (-275) vs. Louis Greene (+225)
Heavyweight: Justis Huni (-500) vs. Kevin Lerena (+400)
Heavyweight: Andrii Novytskyi (-2500) against. Juan Torres (+1000)
Super lightweight: Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Christian Lopez Flores
Heavyweight: Roman Fury (-1400) vs. Martin Svarc (+1100)