Sports
Boxing: Anthony Joshua To Face Francis Ngannou In Saudi Arabia As Fight Confirmed
Anthony Joshua‘s next opponent has been confirmed as former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, with the fight set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
On Friday night, promotional teams Matchroom and Queensberry revealed the anticipated clash between former unified world heavyweight champion Joshua and Ngannou, a past UFC titleholder.
A press conference is slated for January 15 to disclose further details, and there are reports indicating that Joshua is set to confront Ngannou on Friday, March 8, in Riyadh.
In his pursuit to reclaim the summit of the heavyweight division, Joshua secured a commanding five-round victory over Otto Wallin on December 23. However, hopes of a matchup with Deontay Wilder dwindled after the American suffered a defeat to Joseph Parker on the same card.
The former UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou, made an impactful entry into professional boxing last October by knocking down Tyson Fury in his debut bout.
Despite the knockdown, Fury ultimately secured a split-decision victory. Ngannou now finds himself ranked among the top 10 heavyweight contenders by the WBC.
After his impressive win against Wallin, Joshua declared: “I’m down to fight anyone. Whenever and whoever.”
Among the contenders for Joshua’s next bout, the IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic and Zhilei Zhang were also under consideration.
Saudi Arabia is poised to host another significant heavyweight showdown shortly after Fury’s upcoming undisputed world title fight against Oleksandr Usyk on February 17.
Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili made a spectacular debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics, delivering an impressive performance in the women’s 200m event.
After a disappointing setback in the women’s 100m, Ofili showcased her resilience by clinching victory in her heat with a new season’s best time of 22.24 seconds on Sunday, August 4. The victory has qualified her for the 2024 Olympics 200m women’s semi-finals which will take place this evening.
Argentine football icon, Lionel Messi, has stressed that he doesn’t care how much movement he makes in a game as people continue to take note of his walking technique.
In recent times, videos of Lionel Messi practically walking while his team are off the ball have kept many football enthusiasts talking. Many believe that it is a technique to prevent being injured, some say he does that because other players are doing the hard work for him.
But in an interview with Clank Media, Lionel Messi who turned 37-year-old earlier today, June 24, 2024, said not running when he is off the ball has been a part of his game from his days at his boyhood club, Newell, in his native country, Argentina.
“When I was at Newell’s, there were two or three times a week we were sent to run around the grounds. I used to hide behind a tree. Running without a ball was never my thing. Heh”, Lionel Messi said.
“I have always been very self-critical. I am the first to know what I do right and what I do wrong. When I walk, I analyse the opponent’s positioning, how we stand when we don’t have the ball, get away from the marker and be able to initiate a counterattack.
“I don’t pay much attention to GPS, statistics or data. I never cared how much I ran in a match.”
Note that Lionel Messi had used his walking technique while off the ball to win virtually everything in world football including 10 La Liga titles, four Champions League, one FIFA World Cup, and a record 8 Ballon d’Or.
In just two matchdays in the ongoing European Championship (Euro 2024), three countries have secured their place in the tournament’s round of 16.
Interestingly, the Three Lions of England and France, seen as the Super favourites to win the Euro 2024, will have to wait until the last day of the group stage to confirm their place.
Earlier today, June 22, 2024, Portugal’s national team, ably led by five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, defeated Turkey 3-0 to book themselves a place in the round of 16.
Goals from Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, and an own goal from Samet Akaydin made all the difference.
Ronaldo provided an assist for Portugal’s third goal, which was his 7th in the history of the tournament, and the all-time highest in the European Championship.
Recall that Portugal defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in their opening game in Group F. Hence, the Portuguese side now have 6 points in two games.
Whether or not they beat Georgia in their last group stage game on Wednesday, June 26, the Portuguese side will play in the round of 16. However, they need to win the game to ensure they finish top of Group F.
Other two teams that have already booked themselves a place in the Euro 2024 round of 16 with a game in hand are the hosts, Germany, and Spain.
Germany are topping Group A with 6 points in 2 games, while Spain are topping Group B with 6 points in two games.
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