In what should be a spectacular showdown, former two-time unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is expected to square off with former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou. The former is riding a three-fight win streak and is slated for his biggest match since squaring off against Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship back in August 2022. Meanwhile, Ngannou is coming off a narrow loss to Tyson Fury in October of last year. During that fight, the former UFC champion was able to knock down the British fighter in the third round. However, the undefeated Fury was able to hold off Ngannou for a controversial split-decision victory.
For this article, SBS will be examining what to look for from each fighter, along with a predicted winner and even more information about boxing wagering.
An extremely accomplished fighter, Joshua is one of the sport’s premier heavyweight champions. As noted above, he is a two-time former unified world heavyweight champion, having held multiple titles including the WBA (Super version), along with the IBF and WBO titles twice between 2016 and 2021. Moreover, the former champion is coming off back-to-back stoppage victories as well. This includes a stoppage win over Otto Wallin in December of 2023 where he was able to demolish his opponent in the fifth round of the contest. Prior to that, he was able to knock out Robert Helenius in the seventh round of a bout in August of last year.
With a career record of 27-3 with 24 knockout victories, the British fighter is certainly one of the sport’s most explosive fighters for a reason. Prior to this three-fight winning streak, he had a fantastic pair of bouts against Usyk where he came up short both times. In their first matchup, Joshua lost his heavyweight title to the challenger in a unanimous decision. However, in the rematch battle, the fight came down to a very close split decision in favor of the Ukrainian champion. Of course, over the course of his career, he has been ranked as potentially the best heavyweight in the world (2016 and 2017) and has a knockout-to-win percentage which stands at 88%, with an overall knockout percentage of 58% in title fights.
Opposing the former heavyweight champion will be Ngannou who has one of the strongest punching capabilities of any fighter in the world. Per reports, the former UFC champion was widely viewed as “the most destructive pure puncher in the UFC’s heavyweight division.” Moreover, regarding his bouts in the UFC, only five of his thirteen UFC fights eclipsed the two-minute mark in the first round, with the remaining eight ending in a Ngannou finish. A fantastic fighter, he ended his MMA career (for now), with a unanimous decision victory over rival Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 back in January 2022. Prior to that matchup, he had won five fights in a row with all five of them ending in KO or TKO. A fighter with sensational stopping power like Joshua, Ngannou is a force to be reckoned with.
During the course of his short boxing career, Ngannou has already tangled with some of the best in the heavyweight division, squaring off with Fury last October and now Joshua. As noted above, the former MMA champion was able to knock down the British fighter in the third round, taking the fight all the way to the scorecards. However, the judges awarded Fury the victory in a controversial split decision. According to a CompuBox report from the fight, Fury outlanded Ngannou 71 to 59 in total punches, while Ngannou outlanded Fury 37 to 32 in total power punches. Moreover, following this fight, the former UFC champion was ranked as the No. 10 heavyweight by the WBC. With this being his second professional boxing match, this could be a huge win if the powerful Ngannou is able to pull off the upset over Joshua.
Prediction: For this bout, it will be another contest that matches two sensationally strong fighters against each other. However, Joshua will not be caught off guard like Fury was and will have prepared in a diligent manner to make sure he can hold Ngannou at bay. Of course, this will be a fantastic and hard-hitting contest, but take Joshua to win this fight in Saudi Arabia. There could be some fantastic knockout chances in this fight so be on the lookout for that as well.
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About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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