Biggest storylines ahead of Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou

We're two days away from Francis Ngannou's second trip to the boxing ring. The former UFC heavyweight champion will square off with former two-time champ Anthony Joshua on Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a highly anticipated 10-round bout.

The stakes are high as Ngannou seeks his first professional boxing win after nearly pulling off one of the biggest upsets in combat sports history against WBC heavyweight king Tyson Fury last October. Meanwhile, Joshua looks to follow up his 3-0 campaign in 2023 with a win over Ngannou, which could lead to another title shot.

Here are the three biggest storylines heading into the blockbuster matchup.

Did Ngannou strike lightning against Fury, or is he a top heavyweight boxer?

The narrative going into Ngannou's boxing debut five months ago was that MMA fighters couldn't beat boxers in boxing, so Ngannou had no chance against Fury. But everything changed as soon as Ngannou landed the left hand that floored Fury in the third round of their Oct. 28 meeting in Riyadh. Ngannou went on to lose a somewhat contested split decision, but dropping the baddest man in boxing - on top of having a very competitive fight - immediately made the Cameroonian more successful than any other MMA fighter-turned-boxer.

But like these things often go, there's been a lot of talk about whether Fury took Ngannou seriously. As soon as the fight ended, Fury admitted that Ngannou was "a lot better of a boxer than we all thought he would ever be." Moreover, "The Gypsy King" appeared to be in better shape while training for a (scheduled and later postponed) undisputed heavyweight title fight against Oleksandr Usyk, leaving people to wonder if Fury was underprepared for Ngannou.

When Ngannou squares off with Joshua, we'll find out for sure whether the lineal MMA heavyweight champ is a top heavyweight boxer, too. If the fight results in a Joshua rout, then perhaps Ngannou lucked out a bit against Fury. But if it's competitive, or if Ngannou pulls off the stunning upset, then there will be doubt that "The Predator" is one of the best in the world in not one but two sports.

Does Ngannou need to beat Joshua to keep his boxing career alive?

For starters, let's acknowledge that Ngannou is playing with house money at this point. He was never supposed to get the Fury fight, never mind nearly beat him and then cash in on a second massive payday against Joshua. Ngannou has already won, no matter what happens Friday.

That said, the longevity of Ngannou's boxing career is absolutely at stake.

If Ngannou loses to Joshua in lopsided fashion - picture an early knockout or a 10-round drubbing - the novelty of the former UFC champion facing top heavyweight boxers will wear off pretty quickly. The narrative of the stunning Fury performance will change. Fans will make excuses for Fury's poor showing and take the credit away from Ngannou. And soon enough, other big boxing showdowns - against the likes of Usyk and Deontay Wilder - will disappear.

But if Ngannou is competitive with Joshua, then he'll be fine. Ngannou will have once again exceeded expectations, and that's already more than we can ask for. Although his record would be 0-2, a close fight against Joshua further cements Ngannou as a genuine top heavyweight boxer. The Wilder fight would definitely still be in the mix. Maybe even a rematch with Fury.

And, of course, if Ngannou does the unthinkable and cashes in as the underdog against Joshua, then buckle up. Boxing's newest superstar will have arrived.

Will the Joshua-Ngannou and Fury-Usyk winners square off?

Joshua-Ngannou isn't the only big heavyweight fight coming up.

Fury, the WBC champion, and Usyk, the WBO, IBF, and WBA champ, will meet on May 18 in Riyadh to crown the first undisputed heavyweight king since 2000.

With Joshua-Ngannou and Fury-Usyk in close proximity on the calendar, many believe the winners will collide later in 2024 in what would be one of the biggest fights in recent memory. Either Joshua goes for a third championship reign or Ngannou gets an extremely improbable shot at a world boxing title.

Although that seems to be a no-brainer next move - any pairing of Joshua, Ngannou, Fury, or Usyk would be a commercial success - there's no guarantee it'll happen. Here's the issue: Fury and Usyk have a two-way rematch clause in the contract for their fight. That means the loser can force a rematch afterward. And if you're Fury or Usyk, there would be no reason not to - since they'd be leaving millions of dollars on the table otherwise.

The Joshua-Ngannou winner would be deserving of a title shot, but he might have to wait his turn - perhaps until the second half of 2024 or even longer. With Zhilei Zhang defending the WBO interim heavyweight title against Joseph Parker on the Joshua-Ngannou undercard and Filip Hrgovic also in the mix, a lot is happening at the top of the division. And, unfortunately, politics can always get in the way of a megafight like Fury-Joshua or Fury-Ngannou 2.