“Clash of Titans” - Fans react to Francis Ngannou confirming reports of March showdown with Anthony Joshua

Francis Ngannou confirmed his next boxing match will be against Anthony Joshua.

When Ngannou parted ways with the UFC, most people in the combat sports community ridiculed him. Yet, he secured a massive payday for a boxing match against Tyson Fury and nearly defeated the heavyweight great before losing by split decision.

Ngannou’s journey to change the landscape of combat sports will continue when he returns to Saudi Arabia on March 8. This time, the former UFC heavyweight champion will face English superstar Anthony Joshua in a 10-round boxing match.

Earlier this week, Ariel Helwani announced the significant news about what’s next for Ngannou. Now that the fans know, ‘The Predator’ confirmed the fight is happening with this message on Instagram:

“It's not a breaking news anymore but I'm just putting it out there as it is 🤷🏾‍♂️See you in Riyadh @anthonyjoshua and let's rumble 🥊 @gimikfights #riyahdseason #NgannouJoshua”

Fans filled Ngannou’s Instagram comment section with support and excitement:

“Hopefully you don’t get robbed this time💯💯”

“Clash of Titans”

“top 3 most exciting fights of the last 5 years tbh”

“I don't want this fight. This is one fight I'm not mentally prepared to see. I don't want to see any of them lose💔💔”

"This is the fight I wanted to see 🔥🔥🔥🔥"

“Ngannou TKO victory"

Ngannou was overlooked in his fight against Fury before the former secured a knockdown to shock the world. He has proved that his striking skills fare well in boxing, but that doesn’t mean the oddsmakers aren’t underestimating him against Anthony Joshua.

---

What are the opening betting odds for Francis Ngannou’s upcoming boxing match against Anthony Joshua?

In August 2022, Anthony Joshua suffered a second consecutive loss against Oleksandr Usyk, leading to one of the lowest points of his boxing career.

Since then, Joshua has silenced the doubters by winning three consecutive fights, including an impressive performance in his latest appearance against Otto Wallin on Dec. 23, 2023.

Despite his near-win against Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou is a sizeable underdog heading into his meeting with Joshua. According to Bovada, Ngannou is listed as a +400 underdog, while ‘AJ’ comes in as a -650 favorite.