Anthony Joshua v Francis Ngannou: Date, fight time, undercard & how to follow on BBC Sport

Anthony Joshua's highly anticipated fight with mixed martial arts star Francis Ngannou takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday and you can follow it live on BBC Sport.

Briton Joshua, 34, has won his past three fights while Ngannou, from Cameroon, is taking part in only his second bout.

But the former heavyweight UFC champion caught everyone's attention when he dropped Tyson Fury in the third round of their fight in October before eventually losing on a split decision.

Here is what you need to know about Friday's fight:

Why is the fight taking place on a Friday?

The fight is happening on Friday because it coincides with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which is on Saturday, 9 March in Jeddah.

It is a 10-round fight, and while the timings are not guaranteed, for followers in the UK the ring walks for Joshua v Ngannou are expected to start at approximately 23:00 GMT.

Who is on the undercard?

The undercard includes Joseph Parker against Zhilei Zhang for the WBO interim heavyweight title while unbeaten Nick Ball, from Liverpool, takes on Rey Vargas for the WBC featherweight title.

Mark Chamberlain will fight Gavin Gwynne for the European lightweight championship.

• Could Joshua v Ngannou winner fight for undisputed title next?

How can I follow the fight?

There will be live radio commentary of Joshua v Ngannou as well as the preceding undercard bout between Parker and Zhang.

The radio coverage starts at 21:00 GMT on Friday and is led by Steve Bunce and Adam Smith.

Bunce is also hosting daily podcasts on BBC Sounds in the week leading up to the fight, with the first episode available now.

The BBC Sport website and app will also provide live text commentary and written reports.

'The perfect cocktail' - why is this fight important?

According to promoter Eddie Hearn, a win could take Joshua one step closer to fighting for the undisputed world title.

There is a two-fight deal in place for champions Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, also in Riyadh - and the winner of that will be crowned the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era.

But Hearn says if Joshua beats Ngannou, the world will be calling for him to take on Fury.

The more likely scenario for Joshua, should he beat Ngannou, would be challenging for the vacant title against Croatia's number-one ranked IBF fighter Filip Hrgovic.

It is also another huge opportunity for Ngannou to establish his presence on the boxing circuit.

"AJ knows how to box, Ngannou knows how to fight. This is the perfect cocktail for something special," said Bunce.