Anthony Joshua will be the second elite-level heavyweight boxer in succession to put former UFC champion Francis Ngannou’s punching power to the test when the pair collide at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on March 8. The 10-round bout, plus undercard action, will be broadcast by DAZN in the U.S.
Joshua, who is a former two-time unified champion, is coming off a dominant fifth-round stoppage win over Swedish fighter Otto Wallin in December. The hard-hitting Brit was working with trainer Ben Davison for the first time and looked as good as he has in years.
Meanwhile, Ngannou made a colossal splash in boxing when he floored WBC heavyweight champ Tyson Fury before losing a razor-thin 10-round split decision in October. Ngannou displayed excellent poise in what was his professional boxing debut and came close to pulling off arguably the biggest sporting upset of all time.
The Sporting News provides odds and a final prediction for this money-spinning battle of knockout artists.
WATCH: Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou, live on DAZN
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou betting odds
Per BetMGM, Joshua is the -400 favourite while Ngannou is the +300 underdog.
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou trends
- Joshua via KO/TKO/Tech. Dec/DQ: -200
- Joshua via decision: +450
- Ngannou via KO/TKO/Tech. Dec/ DQ: +350
- Ngannou via decision: +2000
- Draw: +2200
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou prediction, best bets
Ngannou is being taken a lot more seriously now than he was five months ago heading into the Fury fight.
However, the general consensus is that Fury mailed it in against Ngannou in terms of preparation. While the champ's team insisted that "The Gypsy King" completed a 12-week training camp, he was a mere shadow of the fighter who defused Wladimir Klitschko and destroyed Deontay Wilder twice. This begs the question: what was he actually doing in camp?
Fury’s timing and distance were woeful against Ngannou and he had very little offensive imagination. While it’s true that Ngannou handled himself well, we need to keep things in perspective when it comes to assessing his overall quality. The Nigerian power puncher is still a novice, albeit a powerful and durable one.
Joshua is renowned for his diligent preparation and his team will have laid out the best formula for success. With another world title opportunity almost assured, there’s no way the ex-champ will be cutting corners for Ngannou. Expect AJ to be at his best here.
I foresee the jab being an awesome weapon for Joshua in this fight. Just that punch alone is enough to bust Ngannou up and drain his physical resources. When he begins to tire, Joshua will layer his offense and mix in the power shots to devastating effect. Ngannou is a badass, so don’t expect him to go over easily. However, he’s out of his depth against Joshua, who will dish out a pulverising beating.
The only caveat is that AJ must keep his chin out of the way. One punch from Ngannou has the potential to switch off every light in Riyadh.