Former MMA champ Francis Ngannou faces two-time former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in a non-title boxing match scheduled for March 8 in Saudi Arabia. Ngannou has been one of the most intriguing stories in the world of combat sports holding a heavyweight title in the UFC before signing with the PFL, which allowed him the option to box. Ngannou did just that and makes his second professional appearance inside a boxing ring after stunning the boxing world with a split decision loss to champion Tyson Fury. Despite the loss, Ngannou knocked the champ down and won the fight on one judge’s scorecard.
Looking to take advantage of his opponent’s celebrity status, Joshua jumped at the chance for this matchup. A run of three straight victories was expected to set up a bout with former WBC champion Deontay Wilder, however Wilder lost his last fight leaving the former MMA artist as Joshua’s best option to continue his upward move while also making bank. Joshua hit the boxing betting board as a big -450 favorite.
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou Betting Odds
Francis Ngannou +322
Anthony Joshua -450
The 12-round non-title heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua ( 27-3, 24 KOs ) and Francis Ngannou ( 0-1 ) will take place on Friday, March 8, 2024 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight can be seen on DAZN pay-per-view.
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou Fight Preview
Few have done the sport crossover thing better than Ngannou, who was ranked No. 10 by the WBC after his ring debut. Ngannou went toe-to-toe with undefeated heavyweight champ Tyson Fury as a massive underdog sending him to the canvas once while going the distance. According to one judge Ngannou won the fight. Although it wasn’t a win, the former UFC heavyweight champ gave notice to the boxing world. Now, the question is whether or not Ngannou continues his boxing journey.
Scratching his boxing itch and proving he can survive against the sports best, Ngannou is poised to return to MMA. “It is my intention to return to the sport,” he said recently. He’s eyeing a cage match against the winner of the heavyweight contest between PFL champ Renan Ferreira and Bellator champion Ryan Bader. With that on his radar is Ngannou really focusing on the bout with Joshua?
Ngannou destroyed just about everybody he came in contact with during his UFC and MMA days showing some boxing skill in the process. He wasn’t given much of a chance when he met Fury last October, but it was evident he worked on his approach showing surprising technique and patience we rarely if ever saw inside the cage. Though he didn’t win, Ngannou gave arguably the best heavyweight boxer in the world one of the most difficult fights of his career.
A few years younger and with 29 more fights on his resume, Joshua is one of the more accomplished heavyweights out there, and he’s looking to cash in on the Ngannou train. Joshua won his first 20 fights all by KO getting the IBF crown over Charles Martin and the WBO and IBO titles against Wladimir Klitschko. His first professional loss was to Andy Ruiz Jr. in a unification fight in 2019 in what many consider an upset rivaling Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson. In a rematch six months later, Joshua earned back his belts with a unanimous decision.
After back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua rattled off three straight wins, most recently punishing Otto Wallin with his corner throwing in the towel after the fourth round. Though not technically perfect, Joshua is a bruiser with a KO/win rate of 88 percent.
Bet Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou
Joshua was a big favorite in his first pro loss and was favored again in his first loss to Usyk, though his opponent fought a smart fight. All this bodes well for Ngannou, who is a big underdog and can throw different looks at Joshua due to his varied background in combat sports. However, I don’t think Joshua will overlook Ngannou like Fury did and that bout was a wakeup call to anyone who puts on the gloves against the UFC champ. I also think Ngannou has other things on his mind distracting him from a complete effort.
Boxing Odds Pick: Anthony Joshua / TKO
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