Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou rules: How many rounds and are knockouts allowed for huge crossover bout

ANTHONY JOSHUA will return to the ring on Friday night as he takes on former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.

The British heavyweight is looking to continue his winning form after his TKO victory over Otto Wallin in December.

ANTHONY JOSHUA VS FRANCIS NGANNOU: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE CROSSOVER BOUT

Since AJ’s back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, he has beaten Robert Helenius and Jermaine Franklin, as well as the Swedish southpaw just a few months ago.

Joshua is on the comeback trail as he looks to revive his career – and promoter Eddie Hearn believes he could be one win away from fighting for the undisputed world title.

UFC legend Francis Ngannou has only just begun his career in professional boxing.

The Cameroonian powerhouse made his debut in the ring against the undefeated Tyson Fury back in October 2023.

Ngannou dropped the Gypsy King in the third round before going on to lose via split decision in controversial fashion.

What are the rules for Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou

Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou will be a standard professional boxing match.

The bout will be ten three-minute rounds as opposed to the more conventional 12-round fights.

Each fighter can win by way of knockout, decision or TKO.

The 10-point ‘must’ system will be used for every round, meaning the winner of a round scores 10 points, while the loser receives nine – unless they are knocked down or badly hurt, in which case they will get eight points, seven or less, depending on the severity of the damage.

There will be no title on the line when Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou collide in the ring.

When is Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou?

• Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou will take place on Friday, March 8.
• The big crossover clash will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• The ring-walks are expected to get going from around 11pm GMT.

What TV channel is Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou on and can it be live streamed?

• Joshua vs Ngannou will be shown live on DAZN PPV and Sky Sports Box Office.
• You can live stream all the action from the DAZN and Sky Sports Box Office websites as well as their apps, both of which are available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
• The DAZN UK PPV price will be £19.99, which includes one month’s DAZN subscription.
• For existing DAZN subscribers, the PPV price will be £18.99.
• The Sky Sports Box Office price for the fight has been set at £19.95 for Sky customers in the UK. 

Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk