Anthony Joshua looks set to face Francis Ngannou in March after Eddie Hearn confirmed on his social media accounts that a deal has been agreed.
Joshua sent a statement to the heavyweight division last month when he produced a stunning performance to stop Otto Wallin.
The performance came at the end of 2023, and it quickly followed average outings from both Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, who are set to meet on February 17.
Fury struggled against Ngannou in October and two months before that, Usyk retained his world title against Daniel Dubois despite being dropped from a shot that split opinion on whether it was below the belt.
With Joshua still in rebuilding mode following consecutive losses to Usyk, a win against Ngannou could be the platform for him to challenge for a world title later this year.
The former two-time world champion will begin the bout with Ngannou a decent favourite, but he’ll need to be at his best against the previous UFC superstar who proved he belongs in boxing last October when narrowly losing to Fury.