Anthony Joshua – Getty image The much-anticipated clash between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder is reportedly set to take place on March 9, 2024 in Saudi Arabia. However, both fighters must first win their upcoming matches next weekend to show their strength for the long-awaited heavyweight showdown. The news comes as Tyson Fury’s bout against Oleksandr Usyk, initially slated for December 23, was rescheduled to February 17 due to Fury’s demanding ten-round encounter with Francis Ngannou. With this shift, Saudi Arabia opted to host a significant heavyweight card next weekend, featuring Joshua against Otto Wallin and Wilder against Joseph Parker.
Anthony Joshua – Getty image According to reports by ESPN, a deal is in place for Joshua and Wilder to meet in March, on the condition that both must emerge winners in their respective bouts next week. The reported agreement brings some excitement with it, as the bout has been in the making since 2018. Joshua’s opponent next weekend Wallin, recently defeated Murat Gassiev and suffered a loss only to Tyson Fury. Wilder, on the other hand, will square it off against former world champion Joseph Parker.
The US government has released a press statement congratulating the president-elect Bola Tinubu after he was declared winner of the 2023 elections. After congratulating Tinubu, the US government urged INEC to correct every error in the election results ahead of the Gubernatorial elections slated on March 11. The statement reads; We understand that many Nigerians and some of the parties have expressed frustration about the manner in which the process was conducted and the shortcomings of technical elements that were used for the first time in a presidential election cycle. Nigerians are clearly within their rights to have such concerns and should have high expectations for their electoral processes. We join other international observers in urging INEC to improve in the areas that need the most attention ahead of the March 11 gubernatorial elections. There are well-established mechanisms in place for the adjudication of electoral disputes, and we encourage any candidate or party seeking to challenge the outcome to pursue redress through those mechanisms. We call on all parties, candidates, and supporters to refrain from violence or inflammatory rhetoric at this critical time. We commend the active participation of civil society and the media in advancing electoral norms and political discourse on issues of importance to citizens. We note with concern reports that numerous members of the media were attacked during the course of the election, and we urge the government, security forces, political actors, and all citizens to respect the media’s critical role by refraining from any damaging acts against them and ensuring accountability for such acts when they do occur. We also congratulate the Nigerian people, especially the large number of youths who are relatively new to the political process, for demonstrating their strong commitment to democracy.” 
The Zenith court adjourned the case today, Wednesday to March 3 for judgment. At least 17 states have joined a consolidated suit demanding the prohibition of President Muhammadu Buhari from suddenly implementing the redesign of the national currency. The Supreme Court, after hearing from dozens of lawyers on both governor’s and federal government’s sides, said a judgment would be delivered on the matter next month. The judgment date will be after the presidential election on February 25. The court had previously issued an order saying the old notes should remain in circulation. Arguments during today’s hearing focused on a contempt decision against Attorney-General Abubakar Malami, who had failed to implement the court’s decision for old notes to keep circulating until a substantive ruling on the matter. The states, including Kaduna and Lagos, sued the Buhari regime earlier this month, arguing that implementing a change of banknotes at this time would harm citizens. Recall that Banks have not been able to make available new notes to Nigerians, which has caused economic hardships. The Central Bank of Nigeria, which introduced the new notes on Mr. Buhari’s directive, said it would try to make available the much-sought N500 and N1,000 notes. 