Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou – Who wins?
Heavyweights Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24KO) and Francis Ngannou (0-1) will meet over 12 rounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 8, 2024.
These boxing behemoths are set to bank big bucks, with their fight purses confirmed for eight-figures. But, the biggest prize will be a chance to be in pole position for a world title shot, with Joshua likely to become No.1 in four of the five governing bodies this month, currently ranked second in the WBC and WBA, and first with the WBO and IBO. His IBF #3 position will increase to #2, but Filip Hrgovic will retain the top spot.
So, money aside, WBC #10 Ngannou will be incentivised to smash and grab AJ’s world rankings, but the Watford warrior has worked hard to get himself back in position for a title shot, where he has a burning ambition to become a three-time world champion.
Both boxers are big, muscly, powerful and determined, but who wins and how? BBN’s panel of experts shared their thoughts below:
Frazer ClarkeUnbeaten heavyweight
“The good thing is about that one [Ngannou], we’ve already had a look at him now.
“Before Fury was like the tester. He had to get in there when he wasn’t quite sure and neither were we about what he was going to get.
“I think he [Joshua] can beat him and can beat him well.
“If the world title is your aim, then I would probably say you’ll want a more competitive name on your resume to get back to that stage.
“You’ve been at the top, you’ve come down a bit, and you’ve now just fought Otto Wallin to bridge the gap. Maybe you need to bridge the gap again to the next level up to get you ready for the world titles. I’m not sure if Ngannou is that?
“Saying that he had a good performance against Fury, but then again, what does it come down to? I hate having this conversation with people, because it’s not what people want to hear, but pound notes is a massive thing in boxing and I think ultimately that will do the talking.”
Abel SanchezWorld champion boxing trainer
“AJ will be cautious early, but will then slowly show his skill dominance and may get a referee stoppage in the late rounds, but a wide decision is probably the more likely outcome.”
Ricky Hatton Former two-weight world champion
“It’s a sensible fight for Anthony Joshua to make because of how well Francis Ngannou did against Tyson Fury. There’s a big question mark really. Was Francis Ngannou better than what we thought he was, or did Tyson take him too lightly? Either way, AJ was in good form against Otto Wallin showing good boxing ability, and his confidence will be back up now.
“The fact that Tyson struggled, if AJ goes in and puts on an impressive performance then that’s a massive thing in their favour. I still think Tyson is the best heavyweight out there, he took Ngannou lightly, but I can see where Eddie Hearn is going with AJ in order to make the match because Tyson couldn’t have struggled anymore. If Joshua goes out there and impresses, it can only work in his favour.”
“AJ is a very good boxer and is known for his explosiveness and his power, but you don’t become an Olympic gold medallist and a two-time heavyweight champion of the world without the ability that Joshua has.
“But on the downside, he can be hurt, knocked down and stopped, and when you think of the size and punching power Ngannou has got, there’s every chance he could knock AJ out, but the bigger picture is, Joshua is a very rounded, accomplished boxer. He’s very skilful and heavy-handed and it’s the right time for him because his confidence is sky high from the past couple of performances.
“If he goes out and there impresses where Tyson didn’t, it’ll work more in his favour when they sit down on the negotiation table and try and make the Tyson Fury fight.”
Martin BakoleWBA #1 heavyweight
“Joshua is going to be different [from Tyson Fury] because Joshua saw that Ngannou is coming to box, so he will take it serious, and Ngannou wants to make a name in boxing.”
Carl FrochFormer world super-middleweight champion
“It’s bad for boxing because who wants to watch it? Because when Joshua wins, what’s he done? What’s he achieved? All he wants is bragging rights to say he did a better job than Fury, but no one cares. Joshua-Ngannou is a pointless fight. It’s doing nothing for boxing, sure, it keeps him ticking over while he waits for the winner of Fury versus Usyk, but why not fight a real boxer; fight Zhilei Zhang, fight Joe Joyce, fight Daniel Dubois. There are fights available to Joshua against top contenders and real boxers. But instead he’s jumping in with Ngannou in a pointless exhibition.
“Ngannou is big and strong and has distance and timing, he’s got a good boxer’s eye, so he has more than a chance of causing the upset. I expect AJ to thoroughly outbox him as an Olympic champion should. The sensible thing for AJ to do is to use his boxing ability, the ability he learned over the years from Rob McCracken. From being an amateur with Rob McCracken to becoming a world champion under Rob McCracken. He should use his skills he learned from the guy who guided him to an Olympic gold medal and two world titles. If he uses those skills against Ngannou it could be a shutout points performance. But Ngannou is a born fighter, a wrecking ball, a f******* machine and if he sticks it on AJ and shows him no respect, from what I saw against Fury, anything could happen, he could make it a nightmare for AJ. He will come and have a go, but AJ should be able to shut him down with movement, but it’s not a foregone conclusion.”
Bermane StiverneFormer WBC world heavyweight champion
“I think Tyson Fury had an off night and he didn’t show up. Anthony Joshua is a different kind of fighter compared to Fury. He’s more aggressive and I think he will make a statement and knock Francis Ngannou out. I believe Joshua is still a very good fighter and will take care of business.”
Spencer Fearon Former pro boxer / Pundit
“He’s [Ngannou] a big specimen of a human being, but he’s lacking in the technical departments of boxing. And look at the guys who have given Anthony Joshua problems in his career. Even Carlos Takam gave Anthony Joshua trouble; them short, squat guys give him trouble. You give him someone around about his height, and you get a dangerous Anthony Joshua. Also, with the link-up now with Ben Davison, I can see an Anthony Joshua stoppage in about eight rounds.
“You can say ‘well here’s a man whose been kicked in the head and never been knocked out’, but I just think there’s a lot of body that’s been exposed and if Joshua can go downstairs properly, I can see Anthony Joshua stopping Francis Ngannou.
“The guys that have beaten him [Joshua] prior, in Usyk and Ruiz, I think they’ve been in boxing a little bit longer than he has, and you can see it as well. In this fight here, Anthony Joshua’s the one with the experience.
“And you don’t win ABAs, you don’t win European silvers or Olympic gold medals if you don’t know how to fight. Irrespective that you’ve been inexperienced, I get it but it doesn’t mean you can’t fight and Anthony Joshua can fight. Especially now that I can see a new-found belief in him.
“What does Francis Ngannou do better than Anthony Joshua? I could be completely wrong, but I can see Anthony Joshua completely obliterating Francis Ngannou.”
Michael Bisping Former UFC champion
“Tyson Fury’s father said that there were people around training camp that maybe weren’t the best influences on him and maybe that affected his performance, but Anthony Joshua isn’t going to do that.
“Anthony Joshua is a proper athlete and he takes his career very, very seriously and he’s had a great 2023, he’s won three in a row. He looked great against Otto Wallin, he looked back to the old AJ, he got his stoppage inside five rounds.
“But you have to give Ngannou a chance. If you can sit down Tyson Fury he can probably sit down Anthony Joshua.”
Tom AspinallUFC Interim Heavyweight Champion
“I think it’s great what Ngannou has done, I didn’t give him a chance against Fury and I think the fight could have gone either way. I think it’s great he’s got this other massive fight coming up against Anthony Joshua and he’s getting paid loads of money. He’s obviously an absolute specimen. He’s obviously a much better boxer than everyone thought. I think his chances are quite high, beating Joshua. If you have asked me that question one year ago I would have said Joshua would have smoked Ngannou easily- in Joshua’s last fight he looked really really good, he was really letting his hands go which we haven’t seen in a while- but it’s a 50/50 fight who, knows what happens.”
Ben DayFormer Southern Area champion
“People are losing their mind about this, Francis did amazing against Fury and, in some peoples eyes, beat him; even put him on his arse, what an inspiration he is and such a story!
“I think after Francis’s performance against Fury he well deserves this fight against AJ, and it could be closer than most people think, having said that, I do think AJ wins on points and many may not agree but I think they are technically quite similar and it will be exciting at times.”
Tim RicksonBBN Editor
“Ngannou did a lot better than expected against Fury, but definitely did not win the fight. Francis’ swiping left hook that knocked Fury down in the third round shows that he is able to land his big shots, so he is a real danger. He took some big right hands from Fury and didn’t show any signs of being hurt, so he has a good chin. He showed plenty of aggression and confidence, spending most of the fight on the frontfoot. Yes, it was his professional boxing debut, but he begun his combat training as a boxer, then was converted to MMA when he arrived in France, and he is known for his punching power and prowess, but that said, it was still a big surprise to see who well he performed against Fury.
“AJ is enjoying a good run of form, with three wins on the spin after back to back losses to Oleksandr Usyk. I was actually quite impressed with his points win over Jermaine Franklin, who I thought just nicked it against Dillian Whyte, but was denied on the scorecards. He showed a lot of improvements in that win against a durable, once-beaten boxer, looking technically better and more intelligent than before. Then he scored that stunning one-punch knockout over Helenius to show he still has that explosiveness he becamed famed for. Then, against Wallin, he broke the southpaw down and retired him early after a one-sided beatdown.
“AJ has been beating all his rivals’ opponents, to draw comparisons and reignite potential fights, such as the big one with Fury. He will be so determined to handle Ngannou better than Fury did to show he is better and become the favourite when anyone discusses that fight.
“I rate AJ as a better boxer than Ngannou, but think it could be a close contest between them, but one that Joshua is always in control of and on top. Ngannou doesn’t have the element of surprise after his performance against Fury, so he won’t be taken lightly this time. AJ could set traps or line Ngannou up for some big shots, but I’m not sure if he can knock him out after he showed his durability against Tyson. But I think Joshua will be technically better and able to box intelligently to dominate this fight behind his superior reach.
“So, right now I’m picking Joshua to win on points.”
Hector Franco Fansided MMA writer
“While he was highly underestimated against Fury, Ngannou had the advantage of the unknown heading into that match. He won’t have that same trump card against Joshua. Unlike Fury, Joshua won’t be coming off a 10-month layoff and will be looking to gain a measure of bragging rights over his UK rival by defeating Ngannou.
“Joshua has shown massive amounts of vulnerability, mainly when opponents apply pressure and aren’t afraid to take the fight to him. Ngannou’s best course of action is to get into a brawl with Joshua with the likelihood of coming out on top. However, Joshua has plenty of motivation to make a statement against Ngannou and should be the one who has his hands raised with a stoppage victory.”
Burim SylejmaniFIDES Sports promoter
“After the last performance of Ngannou against Fury, and after the last performance of Joshua against Wallin, this will be a great fight.
“But I think Joshua is the better boxer and will win the fight.”
Oscar PickBBN writer
“My prediction is that Joshua will beat Ngannou by unanimous decision.
“He will use his jab and advanced footwork to full effect, controlling the distance so that Ngannou cannot get near him. I see it being a one-sided fight without Joshua getting the stoppage, because Ngannou proved in the Fury fight that he is able to take a shot well.”
Marshall KauffmanKings Boxing promoter
“Anthony Joshua should easily dismantle Francis Ngannou.
“I can see Joshua stopping him within six rounds and making a statement.”
Sam Condy BBN writer
“Ngannou shocked the boxing world in October when he faced off against Fury. He looked sharp, composed and competitive in the ring. If you watched his UFC fights you knew that he possessed vicious punching power. However, no one expected him to look like he had every right to share the ring with arguably the best heavyweight in the world right now.
“I think a big part of how good Ngannou looked is down to how bad Fury was on the night. The WBC heavyweight champion underestimated him, looked unfit and sluggish. Now that the world has seen that Ngannou can pose a serious threat, he will not be taken lightly again.
“AJ is coming off the back of three good wins and will be looking to forcibly beat the man that many believe should have dethroned the heavyweight king. I thought we had long seen the last of a prime AJ, but his victory over Wallin has made me believe otherwise. Joshua looked confident in the ring, he was unfazed by Wallin and stalked him constantly, landing powerful pocket shots and combinations, breaking the Swede down and eventually forcing his opponent to retire early from the bout.
“It appears Joshua has regained the confidence in himself that Usyk and Ruiz stripped from him, and I think he will come into this fight looking to make a statement. Ngannou will always pose a threat and AJ will have to be careful, as a clean shot from the former UFC champion could spark trouble. Nevertheless, AJ is the technically superior boxer and holds some serious punching power of his own.
“Nagnnou showed in his maiden boxing voyage that he can take some serious punishment and come out the other end looking unfazed. He will not be an easy matchup for AJ by any means, but I think AJ will use his massive experience advantage to pick Ngannou apart with a variety of high and low pocket punches and combinations, eventually breaking him down.
“I believe AJ will manage to force a stoppage victory in the later rounds of the fight.”
Arijan GorickiIBO International title contender
“My prediction is that fight could be good one, but depends on what AJ shows up. They are both punchers, so it could get interesting, but in the end I see Joshua as a winner.”
Anish ParekhBBN writer
“This fight would have been derided only a few months ago but after his strong showing against Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou has become an intriguing x-factor in the heavyweight division.
“Fury paid for his lack of preparation in his clash with Ngannou but I don’t think that will be the case with AJ. He will need to be careful of Francis’ power but if he comes with bad intentions as he did against Otto Wallin, Joshua will stop Ngannou, who I think will present a fairly stationary target with limited lateral movement.
“AJ within 6 rounds.”