On Friday, boxing returns to Saudi Arabia for another spectacular night in which the heavyweights take centre stage. The main and co-main events will both see some of the biggest hitters in the sport, and another sport, go face-to-face.
It’s a battle of a former boxing world champion against a former UFC world champion where our attention turns. We’ve got all the news and info in our Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou prediction.
It is just the second time in his life that the Cameroonian is taking part in a professional boxing fight, having debuted in the sport last year against Tyson Fury.
After nearly causing the biggest shock in the sport’s history, he returns to the Middle East for his latest boxing bout.
Will his latest opponent slip up as Fury nearly did? We’ll explain whether that will be the case in our Joshua vs Ngannou prediction.
Joshua vs Ngannou Prediction
This might have been the night that AJ took on Deontay Wilder, if it wasn’t for the Bronze Bomber’s slip up against Joseph Parker back at Day of Reckoning in December.
Ngannou on the other hand, may have had a legitimate claim to the WBC world title if his fight with Fury had gone the way many believed it should have.
We’ve got the information on whether or not the former UFC star can go one better this time in our Joshua vs Ngannou prediction.
Anthony Joshua Preview
A two time former world heavyweight champion, there aren’t many in the division better than Joshua when he’s on form. Unfortunately, for too many years recently, the British boxer was way short of his best.
A loss to Andy Ruiz Jr, his first as a professional boxer, made him more cautious and the back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk appeared to strip him of all confidence. People questioned if the 2012 Olympic champion was done for at the top of the sport.
However, his recent victory against Otto Wallin suggested that his decision to employ Ben Davidson as his coach was a good one. AJ was back to looking at his best in the fight against the man who’d never previously been stopped.
Joshua’s foot work was all but perfect and he dominated from the opening bell, picking his spots and landing some great shots. It took five rounds for him to earn the win but he’d dominated throughout the fight.
Will he return back towards the top of the mountain with a win in the Middle East? We’ll explain why we think so in our Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou prediction.
Really his route to victory is varied considering how he can fight in a multiple of styles, and he put it all together in the win over Wallin.
Francis Ngannou Preview
When he moved to France from Cameroon aged 26 years old, Ngannou wanted to become a professional boxer. Instead, he was convinced to try becoming an MMA fighter.
It was certainly a good decision, with ‘the Predator’ turning professional in 2013 and earning a UFC contract just two years later. His undefeated run earned him a title shot against then champion Stipe Miocic.
A loss to the champ and Derrick Lewis in back-to-back fights set him back but he recovered to defeat Mioic in their rematch at UFC 260 and claim the title.
Ngannou will certainly be hoping that his ability to bounce back will help him on Friday, but our Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou prediction doesn’t believe that will be the case.
His desire to turn his hand at professional boxing, all those years after it was his original dream, was the catalyst for his decision to leave the UFC. He beat Cyril Gane in his only title defence in MMA and then left soon after as champion.
He faced Fury last year in Saudi Arabia and very few people really gave him a chance. However, the African caught his opponent in the third round, sending the world champion boxer to the canvas momentarily. It’s the kind of shot that Joshua will have to avoid.
After 10 rounds, many watching believed that Ngannou should be awarded the fight by the judges, especially with the 10-8 round in the third. Unfortunately for him and his fans, only one of the judges scored in favor of the former MMA man, and Fury’s undefeated streak remained in tact.
Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou Prediction: Joshua Has Had His Warning
Whilst Fury has claimed his performance put Ngannou ‘on the map,’ and made him ‘even more money,’ it might actually be British rival Joshua he’s done the biggest favor too.
Our Joshua vs Ngannou prediction centers on the fact that AJ won’t take Ngannou lightly as it appears Fury did.
Before that fight, no one knew what the 37-year-old could produce inside the squared circle. Now there is little that can surprise Joshua in their fight.
Joshua is a huge -400 favorite on the Moneyline but our first prediction has slightly more value than that. AJ to win by TKO/KO at -180 gets the nod.
Joshua’s footwork and jab can help him take Ngannou apart over a number of rounds before finally finding the winning blow. It’s unlikely the finish will come from one blow from Joshua. So we’ve gone with Anthony Joshua to win in rounds 5-6 at +475.
To round things off we think the power that both men possess suggests that they’ll be a couple of knockdowns so Total Knockdowns over 1.5 at +120 is our final prediction for this one.
Ryan Sidle is a sports journalist with nearly a decade in the industry. He's been interested in boxing since Mike Tyson vs Frank Bruno and his MMA fandom was sparked by Michael Bisping and Anderson Silva.
