Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou Betting Odds And Predictions

As the highly anticipated showdown between Anthony Joshua (27-3-0) and Francis Ngannou (0-1-0) nears, the Joshua vs. Ngannou odds are seeing increased action at sports betting sites.

After Ngannou shocked the world and fought competitively against Fury, there has been growing interest in how he responds. Let’s check out the latest betting odds for Joshua vs. Ngannou, then delve into our prediction.

Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou Betting Odds and Predictions

The following Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou odds are courtesy of Bovada:

Currently, at Bovada, Joshua is a heavy -475 betting favorite over Ngannou. This Joshua vs. Ngannou betting line suggests that Joshua has an implied probability of 82.6 percent to win.

According to the latest odds, the fight is not projected to go the distance. The total number of rounds Over/Under for this 10-round fight is 6.5, with the odds favoring the Under at -130. Also, the fight is -400 to NOT go the distance.

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Tale Of The Tape/Boxing Styles

Let’s break down the Joshua and Ngannou fighter profiles and how each fighter stacks up in the ring:

Joshua and Ngannou square off in a fairly physically equal heavyweight boxing match. Ngannou has a slight reach advantage, though Joshua is two inches taller than Ngannou.

Naturally, the largest discrepancy between Joshua and Ngannou is in their boxing experience. Ngannou made his professional boxing debut against Fury. While Joshua is a well-established championship boxer with over a decade of pro experience.

Both participants are orthodox fighters. Joshua’s style can be described as a prototypical boxer puncher. He is a well-rounded fighter who excels from the mid to long-range position in the ring.

The former UFC heavyweight champ relies on pure power. As such, Ngannou’s camp will instruct him to try to end this fight in the opening rounds.

Fighter Form

Ngannou has only made one professional appearance as a boxer. After entering into a contract dispute with Dana White, the UFC heavyweight champion vacated the title and focused on a lucrative payday to box Fury.

Despite scoring a knockdown in the third round with a left hook and exceeding expectations, Ngannou lost by split decision to the WBC heavyweight champ. Judge Ed Garner scored the fight in favor of Ngannou, 95-94, but other judges favored Fury, 94-95, 93-96¹.

Ngannou looked like he belonged in the boxing ring, but was up against a Fury who wasn’t in the best shape of his career. The 35-year-old “Gypsy King,” who is currently preparing for the fight of the year vs. Oleksandr Usyk, could have trained harder and not overlooked Ngannou as much as it appeared he did.

Joshua has gotten back on track since losing back-to-back matches to Usyk. In April 2023, Joshua responded with a 118-111, 117-111, 117-111 win by unanimous decision over Jermaine Franklin Jr.

He followed up with a KO of Robert Helenious and most recently beat Otto Wallin after a corner stoppage in the fifth round in December. Joshua split Wallin open under his eye and broke his nose to prompt an end to the fight.

In August, Joshua was a massive -1600 favorite over Helenius. He won easily with a vicious right cross in the seventh round. Helenius’ defense deteriorated in the later rounds, while Joshua seized the moment to put Helenius to sleep².

Joshua made easy work of Wallin as a -350 favorite, and now the Ngannou vs. Joshua odds solidly favor “AJ” at -450. In his current form, Joshua has a significant upper hand on the former UFC star. However, if he makes an ill-timed mistake, Ngannou has the power to end this fight in the first round.

Fighter Strengths/Weaknesses

Joshua is known for being a balanced fighter who is superior at mid and long-range. He used his physical attributes to become an Olympic champion and two-time unified world heavyweight titleholder.

That said, Joshua can get stiff against more athletic fighters. Usyk exploited Joshua’s lackluster lateral movement to his advantage.

Joshua needs better movement to avoid getting tagged by opponents who are superior to him in this regard. Fortunately, for Joshua, Ngannou is not nearly as crafty as Usyk in a boxing ring.

If “The Predator” can get inside on Joshua, Ngannou’s strategy might work. It can’t develop into a long fight because Ngannou does not have the fitness levels to go the distance for a win. He is a freak of nature and has a chin, but he also has the potential to run out of gas.

Also, although Ngannou’s chin is viewed as a strength, he can’t use his questionable speed to avoid Joshua’s repetitive one-two combinations.

Intangibles/Mentality

Ngannou has to feel like he is going to Saudi Arabia playing with house money. There weren’t many pundits who expected him to be competitive against a fighter of Fury’s elite caliber.

Whether he wins or loses, Ngannou has already gained the respect of people in the boxing community. You have to respect the guy for betting on himself in the boxing ring against Fury and now another highly-ranked heavyweight.

Expect Ngannou to be loose and relaxed going into this contest. If he loses, it won’t be due to his mindset. What about Joshua? He has been accused in the past of not having the heart and desire to improve as a boxer.

Nevertheless, Ngannou should have Joshua’s attention after his performance against Fury. This is a tremendous opportunity for Joshua to look dominant against a guy who nearly upset Fury. Following three straight wins, Joshua’s head appears to be as clear and confident as ever since losing to Usyk.

Joshua vs. Ngannou Prediction And Betting Pick

Ngannou had the benefit of going into his boxing debut without any film for Fury’s camp to study. Now, Joshua can go through that tape and isolate where Fury went wrong.

Once Fury maintained more separation following the knockdown in the third round, he started to find more success. Expect Joshua to stay away from the inside to utilize his jabs and superior long-range game to wear down the Cameroonian.

Look for Joshua to be conservative in avoiding Ngannou’s KO attempts through the first few rounds. As Ngannou runs into cardio issues in the sixth or seventh round, Joshua will angle for a KO/TKO.

Joshua plays this fight safely with jabs in the early rounds and then opens up. He struggles against more athletic fighters, but Ngannou doesn’t move around like Usyk. Ngannou’s chin keeps him in the fight, though he should fade in the later stages.

The current Joshua vs. Ngannou odds imply an 82.6 percent chance of a victory for Joshua. Our numbers have Joshua as a -650 favorite, with an implied probability to win of 86.7 percent. Most pundits have this fight ending in a KO, but there is a decent chance Joshua wins on points.

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