Anthony Joshua will be in line to challenge for Tyson Fury’s WBC world heavyweight title if he beats Francis Ngannou.

Joshua returns on March 8 in Saudi Arabia against ex-UFC champion Ngannou, in only his second boxing bout.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told Gambling.com: “He has had a sensational career and if he beats Francis Ngannou, then he is number one in the WBC while Francis Ngannou is number 10 so the winner will certainly be positioned for great things in the immediate future.”

Ngannou put his MMA career on hold last year to fight Fury on his boxing debut. And he amazingly scored a knockdown only to be beaten via controversial split-decision.

Meanwhile Joshua, 34, takes on Ngannou, 37, just three weeks later.

Winners of the two super-fights could meet but as it stands, Fury and Usyk are already contracted to a rematch.

But WBC boss Sulaiman would consider altering plans if promoters requested.

He said: “The WBC already sanctioned Fury v Usyk and the rematch.

“We received the request and have already accepted a rematch if the promoters put it together so that’s where the WBC stands.

“If the promoters change their request for the rematch, we will certainly address it.”

Joshua is training for his crossover fight with former UFC champion Ngannou in March and Tom Aspinall would be willing to help the Brit in his preparations

UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has offered Anthony Joshua a helping hand for his Francis Ngannou training camp.

Joshua is currently preparing to fight Ngannou on March 8 in Saudi Arabia and the winner of their fight has been promised an undisputed heavyweight world title shot. Aspinall helped Tyson Fury prepare for his crossover fight against Ngannou last year which he narrowly won in a controversial decision.

“If [Joshua] needs help, give me a call and I’ll be there,” Aspinall told Matchroom Boxing. “Boxers are used to fighting boxers, so they know the patterns of a boxer. The patterns, movement and thought process of a boxer. In MMA we’re doing different stuff than a standard boxer would. We’re throwing different shots from different angles and that’s something an MMA fighter, I’m not saying just me, could definitely help out AJ with.”

‘If you get standard boxers in that have been boxing since they’re 10 years old, they’re going to move and have the same thought process as every other boxer. As MMA fighters our patterns are different, movements are jerkier and the way we defend is different to a boxer. I’m not going to tell AJ what to do, but it would be definitely recommended to get a decent level MMA fighter in as a sparring partner.”

Ngannou wants another shot at Fury if he beats Joshua and isn’t interested in fighting for a world title after contractual issues with the UFC delayed his exit from the promotion. Aspinall, who currently holds the interim UFC belt, admitted he didn’t give Ngannou a chance against Fury but thinks his fight with Joshua could go either way.

“I think it’s great what Ngannou has done, I didn’t give him a chance against Fury and I think the fight could have gone either way. I think it’s great he’s got this other massive fight coming up against Anthony Joshua and he’s getting paid loads of money. He’s obviously an absolute specimen and is a much better boxer than everyone thought,” Aspinall told OLBG.

“I think his chances are quite high, beating Joshua. If you have asked me that question one year ago I would have said Joshua would have smoked Ngannou easily – in Joshua’s last fight he looked really really good, he was really letting his hands go which we haven’t seen in a while – but it’s a 50/50 fight who, knows what happens.”

Boxing legend Johnny Nelson has issued a stark warning to Anthony Joshua, urging the former heavyweight champion to bring his absolute best to his upcoming fight against Francis Ngannou. Nelson believes that a loss to the former UFC champion could potentially spell the end of Joshua’s career.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Nelson acknowledged Joshua’s confidence in his ability but cautioned him against underestimating the risk involved. “Anthony Joshua is part of the reason there’s so much bigger money in the heavyweight division right now,” Nelson said. “Like it or not, he’s a household name. But what’s the attraction he had? That crossover appeal. I still believe he’s a big draw, one of the biggest out there.”

Nelson, however, disagrees with Ngannou’s current position as a potential challenger for the undisputed heavyweight title. “There are fighters ahead of him in the top ten rankings who have proven themselves,” he stated.

Despite his reservations about Ngannou’s position, Nelson believes Joshua has a clear advantage in terms of experience and boxing knowledge. “When he boxes Ngannou,” Nelson said, “to me that should be a given. Anthony Joshua knows a lot more than Ngannou about boxing. But in this sport, one punch changes everything.”

Nelson emphasized the potential consequences of a Joshua defeat. “If that one punch lands and Ngannou gets the win,” he said, “which I don’t believe could happen, then Ngannou would be in a position that I think other fighters deserve. Fighters who have worked their way up, fought former champions, and earned their rankings the right way, not by jumping from one spot to another.”

For Joshua, the stakes couldn’t be higher. “He can’t afford that to happen,” Nelson insisted. “He needs to be on his A-game when he fights Ngannou. He needs to learn from Tyson Fury’s mistake. If Anthony Joshua gets this job done, it could be a cash grab, but I think the risk far outweighs the reward. If he gets turned over, the multi-million deal, that multi-million fight against the winner of Usyk and Tyson Fury, is gone.”

Nelson’s message is clear: Joshua needs to approach this fight with the utmost seriousness and focus. His career, and his future in the heavyweight division, hang in the balance.