Francis Ngannou not only managed to hang with Tyson Fury for 10 rounds but he took the heavyweight boxing champion to a razor-close split decision that many believe should have gone his way.

In the aftermath of that stunning performance, Ngannou has been flooded with potential options for what comes next including offers across both MMA and boxing. While he maintains a multi-fight deal with the PFL, Ngannou could be looking at a massive payday to stay in boxing — potentially for a lucrative rematch with Fury or possibly pursuing other fights like Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder.

PFL commentator Dan Hardy admits that he would like to see Ngannou return to his roots in MMA but then again he acknowledges that “The Predator” already sought out the toughest matchup possible in his professional boxing debut and nearly pulled off the upset.

“Tyson Fury stylistically is probably the most difficult for Ngannou to deal with,” Hardy explained on The MMA Hour. “He’s tall, he’s got great upper body movement, great defense. Then you look at somebody like Anthony Joshua or a Joe Joyce, they’re a little more upright, they don’t necessarily take a punch quite as well. They definitely don’t regroup as well as Tyson Fury does.

“I feel like he’s taken on the stiffest test and proved himself. So the door is definitely wide open for him in boxing and say you put somebody like a Deontay Wilder in there. You’ve got two of the most thunderous punchers on the planet. But again, stylistically for Ngannou, there are holes in Deontay Wilder’s game that can be exploited when he’s punching. Honestly, I think all the doors are open for him. We could be looking at someone that can hold the WBC and the PFL title at the same time.”

Joshua’s longtime promoter Eddie Hearn already started pushing for an eventual showdown against Ngannou while touting that the 2012 Olympic gold medalist in boxing would dispatch the ex-UFC champion in devastating fashion.

Hardy disagrees, especially given Joshua’s perceived weaknesses — most notably his struggles dealing with adversity when he’s not leading in a fight.

“I think honestly Anthony Joshua’s probably one of the better matchups for Ngannou out of all the heavyweights,” Hardy said. “I like the Joe Joyce idea because he boxes with a — I don’t mean amateurish — I mean an amateur technical style where he places his shots but his head’s very much on the center line. He doesn’t move it a lot.

“The thing is with Anthony Joshua, I don’t know if he can regroup if he hits the canvas, especially against an 0-1 boxer that’s still early in his career. I feel like it would unravel much quicker.”

While Fury survived a third-round knockout against Ngannou in their fight, Hardy could definitely see Joshua getting clipped with a similar punch and not getting up again.

“For me, Anthony Joshua, that’s a much, much better matchup for Ngannou,” Hardy said. “I could see Ngannou putting him away.”

As enticing as those boxing matches might be, Hardy still prefers to see Ngannou’s next fight happen in the PFL with hopes that could get booked in early 2024.

“I would like to see him back in MMA,” Hardy said. “I would like to see him hopefully headline the PFL pay-per-view event that’s coming up in the new year, maybe the first half of next year get him an MMA fight and then see where he’s at in the rankings and see kind of where the heavyweight division is at and if anybody makes sense. I feel there are some really good fights for Ngannou.”

Anthony Joshua has been warned by a fierce rival that a fight against Deontay Wilder would be ‘signing his life and career away.’

Joshua and Wilder have been linked to a fight since both became heavyweight champions over 6 years ago. At one stage the two heavy hitters controlled all the belts in the division and were in talks for an undisputed clash, but negotiations failed and now both have lost their titles.

Tyson Fury took Wilder’s WBC belt after winning two of their three fights. ‘AJ’ lost his WBA, IBF and WBO titles to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and failed to regain them the following year in their rematch.

One man who doesn’t think Joshua should go anywhere near Wilder is brash American Jarrell Miller.

Miller has had a fierce rivalry with the former two-time champion ever since they were scheduled to face each other back in 2019. ‘Big Baby’ was pulled from the fight after testing positive for several banned substances in the lead up and was replaced by Andy Ruiz Jr.

ANTHONY JOSHUA got back in the win column last time out against Robert Helenius – but now he must focus on his next challenge.

AJ is looking to build himself up again following consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk, and has done so with victories over the dangerous Finn and Jermaine Franklin.

Next up is Otto Wallin, the man who left Tyson Fury with 47 stitches above his eye during their close encounter four years ago.

Wallin, 32, has won all of his fights since, but hasn’t looked anywhere near the threat he did that evening in Las Vegas.

Joshua could be elevated into a mandatory position to fight for the IBF title with a win over the Swedish southpaw.

Having struggled with lefties in the past, however, Joshua will need to be on his A-game against Wallin if he wants to fight for a world title again.

Full card details

The card is going to be a massive one, packed with heavyweight bust-ups.

Deontay Wilder is fighting Joseph Parker in the co-main event, while Daniel Dubois is also going to be in action.

Dubois will take on former drug cheat Jarrell Miller, who was supposed to fight AJ back in June 2019.

What TV channel is it on?

A TV channel and streaming service for the huge event has yet to be announced.

Check back at SunSport for all the latest details.

What is the PPV price?

Fans have been left delighted with the PPV price for the huge Saudi event which involves Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.

Boxing lovers in the UK will have to pay £19.99 while US viewers are set to be charged $39.99.

Anthony Joshua could revisit the Rumble in the Jungle as part of an “iconic” bout around the 50th anniversary of the legendary fight, says Eddie Hearn.

Promoter Hearn says talks have taken place over the heavyweight contender fighting in Africa, and that government backing for an event is available.

Joshua, 34, has Nigerian ancestry but has never fought on the continent.

“It’s something that would be iconic for the sport,” Hearn told BBC World Service’s Newsday of the proposals.

“When we’re visiting these countries, there’s government funding to stage these events.

“Sometimes that isn’t forthcoming in all areas but there have been discussions and I think it will happen in time.”

Muhammad Ali and George Foreman contested the heavyweight world championship in Zaire – now Democratic Republic of Congo – in October 1974 in one of the greatest fights of all time.

Both men were champions during the long careers that made them legends, with Ali knocking out Foreman in the eighth round to win the WBA, WBC and Ring titles.

Joshua held the WBA belt for a combined total of almost four years and has been IBF, WBO and IBO champion, although he is currently aiming to win back the titles he failed to regain from Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia in August 2022.

Anthony Joshua has never been more confident that his best years are ahead.

The claim will likely be met with a collective eye roll but the former two-time unified heavyweight titlist is brimming with confidence in what has become his most active ring campaign in seven years. Watford’s Joshua is set for his third fight of 2023, which will come versus Sweden’s Otto Wallin on December 23 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“This isn’t a one-stop shop. There’s a road map with check points,” Joshua said of the upcoming crossroads bout. “This isn’t my final destination; this is my first stop. December 23 I’ll deliver that message. I’ll be on my way to bigger and better in 2024. I’m fully focused on this fight.

“I’m determined to win and determined to get back to my peak, if that’s what they want to call it.”

Joshua (26-3, 22KOs) vowed all year to fight as often as possible, to rebuild towards a third heavyweight title run. He entered 2023 on the heels of back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14KOs), first to end his WBA, IBF and WBO title reign in September 2021 and again in their rematch last August in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Two wins have since followed, both on home soil including a seventh-round knockout of Robert Helenius on August 12 at The O2 in London.

Joshua will return to Saudi Arabia for the first time since the repeat loss to Usyk. The nation has also been kind to his career; it was where he regained his unified heavyweight titles in a December 2019 points win over Andy Ruiz to avenge his first pro defeat six months prior to their rematch.

It will now host possibly his next few fights. It is widely believed that Joshua’s placement on the December 23 super show—which also features Deontay Wilder-Joseph Parker and four other heavyweight fights—is part of a multi-fight deal. It is further speculated that wins by Joshua and Wilder will set up a potential two-fight series between the pair of former heavyweight titlsts.

Joshua and Wallin are also ranked high enough by the IBF to where the winner could challenge for the vacant title should it become available sometime after the undisputed heavyweight championship between Usyk and lineal/WBC champ Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24KOs) on February 17 also in Saudi Arabia.

“I can’t predict the future but I know what I where I want to go and what I want to do,” stated Joshua, who was noncommittal on future plans beyond the Wallin fight. “I set out with a plan of what I wanted to do this year.

“I’m sticking to that plan. I’m a man of word. I stand firm on what I believe and I believe I’m going to be a three-time heavyweight champion of the world. My first stop to that is put on a demolishing job against Otto Wallin.”