Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou Analysis Prediction and Picks March 8

Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou Betting Preview

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou head to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to box in a heavyweight fight on Friday, March 8 as WagerTalk boxing handicapper Kevin Dolan gives his Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou prediction and picks with the fight set to start around 6:00pm ET.

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Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou Betting Odds

Friday, March 8	Boxing Betting Notes (Courtesy of Caesars)
Moneyline:	Anthony Joshua -420 vs Francis Ngannou +320
Rounds:	6.5 (Over -115 / Under -115)
Fight Time:	6:00pm ET / 3:00pm PT
Arena:	Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
TV:	PPV

Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou Betting Analysis

Former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua faces his fourth foe in just twelve months on Friday as he takes on dangerous former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou over in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ahead of this weekend.

Joshua is coming off three straight wins since his unsuccessful tilt at recapturing the heavyweight crown from former conqueror Oleksandr Usyk back in 2022, but the British heavyweight has looked like a new fighter under coaches Derrick James and Ben Davidson across his last few fights as he aims to once again get back to the summit of the sport.

Standing in his way is an absolute man-mountain in Francis Ngannou who shocked the boxing world with his elite-level performance against Tyson Fury back in October, giving the lineal heavyweight champion all kinds of issues and something he intends to repeat later this week against Joshua.

Anthony Joshua enters Friday’s contest as the substantial -420 favorite with Francis Ngannou coming back at a +320.

Redemption Arc For Joshua

After suffering a shock stoppage loss against Andy Ruiz Jr. back in 2019, along with back-to-back defeats against the highly technical Oleksandr Usyk.

Also,Joshua has said he reached the lowest ebb of his career in that second Usyk loss, a defeat which had him almost suffering a mental breakdown in the ring immediately after the fight.

However, that defeat led to changes, and his subsequent partnership with Derrick James, and now currently Ben Davidson, has led to some positive signs from Joshua of late who seems to be setting up his power shots a lot better leading to two devastating finishes against both Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin in his last two fights.

Ngannou Aiming To Prove That The Fury Performance Was No Fluke

While the Fury vs. Ngannou matchup was heavily derided pre-fight for its seemingly mismatched pairing, the lineal heavyweight champion of the world versus a guy who had never boxed professionally before, those sneers quickly turned into admiration as Ngannou almost shocked the boxing world with a fantastic performance against an overly sloppy Fury.

Ngannou will be aiming to prove that the fight was no fluke either, and with his power being a substantial factor ahead of this fight, unlike Fury, Joshua had better be prepared for the most dangerous 0-1 opponent likely any fighter will ever have to face.

Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou Expert Prediction

Both fighters are tremendous power punchers in their own right, with Ngannou being known in MMA and beyond as one of the hardest punchers in the world today, and with 24 of Joshua’s 27 victories also coming inside the distance as well, this has all the makings of a war on Friday.

That said however, Joshua, despite being a ferocious puncher in the ring, isn’t an overly aggressive one, and fights with an almost cautious style that belies his power, looking to use his piledriver jab to break open opponents first before then setting them up with either a big overhand right or a devastating left hook.

Ngannou will also know that roughhousing Joshua like he did Fury in his last fight is probably not the best move given Joshua’s own size and strength, coupled with the heavy return fire he’ll likely face coming back at him should he attempt to get overly reckless.

Both fighters know the seriousness of the power facing them on Friday night and I’m expecting a far more cagier fight than the advertised ‘Knockout Chaos’ we’re seeing on all of the promotional posters right now.

I personally grabbed the Over 5.5 rounds at -125 back in January, a line that has since ballooned all the way up to -192 during the week of the fight.

Whether you opt to pay the increased line or throw it into a parlay ahead of this weekend’s action either, I’m backing we see this one go some rounds on Friday.

Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou Prediction: Over 5.5 Rounds (-192)

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