Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua - B/R Staff Predictions

Rewind to the beginning of 2022 when Francis Ngannou defended his UFC heavyweight crown against Cyril Gane. It would have been implausible to think Ngannou would have left UFC, knocked down boxing's top heavyweight and be set to engage in another boxing match with another top heavyweight.

Well, here we are.

After his stunning performance in the fall against Tyson Fury, Ngannou will set foot in a boxing ring once again on Friday against former two-time unified heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua. Joshua is a -320 money line favorite according to DraftKings, but Ngannou's frightening power should not be underestimated. Just ask Fury.

The B/R combat sports team is called together for another round of predictions in this intriguing affair emanating from Saudi Arabia.

What's your prediction for the fight? Share your thoughts in the comments section of the app,

Francis Ngannou's fight with Tyson Fury was probably my favorite sporting moment of 2023.

Ahead of time, I had visions of Ngannou getting picked apart and finished inside a couple of rounds. No other outcome seemed possible, and as a fan of his, the best I could hope for was that he wasn't humiliated.

In the end, he exceeded all expectations—not just mine, but everybody else's. He didn't win the fight, and I do think Fury deserved the decision, but he went the distance with the Brit and had some pretty good moments in the process, most notably his dramatic third-round knockdown.

As a direct result of that fight with Fury, things feel different ahead of Ngannou's fight with Joshua. It's still abundantly clear that he'll be the less-skilled boxer in the ring, but at this point, counting him out of any fight—against any heavyweight, under any rule set—seems foolish. From winning the UFC heavyweight title with well under a decade of MMA training to going the distance with Fury, he has made a career of doing the impossible, and that's without even mentioning his unbelievable journey from Cameroon to France.

When you consider the fact that Joshua has been stopped before and that he doesn't seem to respond well to serious adversity in his fights, the chances of Ngannou somehow pulling this off seem even higher. Honestly, I'm just done doubting this guy.

My crystal ball shows Joshua trying to keep this one very technical and measured, only to eat one of Ngannou's trademark wrecking balls anyway. The first one might not put the Brit away, but it will be enough to derail his game plan, which will open the door to more punishment.

Eventually, Ngannou will land the kind of punch there's no coming back from, and shift his focus to the winner of Fury and Oleksandr Usyk's long-awaited May showdown.

So much for that PFL fight with Renan Ferreira.

Prediction: Ngannou by KO, Rd. 4

- Tom Taylor

My man Tom is not wrong.

This is a dangerous, dangerous fight for Joshua.

He's shown just enough vulnerability, and Ngannou has shown just enough menace to make it something less than hyperbolic to suggest the two-time champ could lose.

In fact, the version of Joshua that existed both in and since his stunning loss to Andy Ruiz five years ago could be considered an underdog to the Ngannou that faced Fury.

Too cautious. Too safe. Too passive to dissuade a menace like the ex-UFC champ.

But some habits are hard to break.

I'm a Joshua guy. I was back then. I am now.

When he vaporized Charles Martin and vanquished Wladimir Klitschko, I thought we were looking at a guy who'd dominate the division for years. He was big, strong, powerful, and, particularly against Klitschko, possessed the resolved that'd get him off the deck.

The Ruiz loss seemed to have stolen that, and he's shown only glimpses since.

Still, I feel like it's there. I feel like the challenge of Ngannou and the prospect of his own career being trashed if he loses will be decisively motivating. And if he fights the way he did prior to his U.S. debut, on the front foot and with confidence, he can actually make it look easy against a foe who's got a big punch but little else in the way of fundamentals.

It says here that's what'll happen. Not disaster.

Prediction: Joshua by KO, Rd. 3

- Lyle Fitzsimmons

As a sports fan, you have to love Francis Ngannou's story.

Here's a man, who, against all the odds, captured UFC heavyweight gold, bet on himself in a completely different sport and cashed in by knocking down the heavyweight champion of the world.

We know what his strength is: nuclear-weapon-level punching power that can turn the lights out of any opponent. Tyson Fury felt that last fall.

But just because Ngannou was "successful" in his first boxing match doesn't mean he'll enjoy anywhere close to the same success in his second.

For all of his inconsistencies, Anthony Joshua has been a boxer for most of his life. He has 30 fights under his belt compared to Ngannou's one. The experience and know-how of getting it done in the ring strongly favor Joshua despite the feel-good vibes around Ngannou.

And by the way? Ngannou lost that fight to Fury. The smart money is that he'll lose this one to Joshua.

Prediction: Joshua by unanimous decision

- Lucky Ngamwajasat