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The opening odds for Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou have sparked vivid fan reactions on X.
Joshua opened up as a huge betting favorite over Ngannou and fight fans couldn’t figure out where to put their money.
The former UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou, is set to take on Anthony Joshua in 2024. The fight will reportedly take place on March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where ‘The Predator’ made his boxing debut against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in October 2023.
‘The Gypsy King’ earned a split decision victory after 10 hard-fought rounds. However, Ngannou gave him one of the toughest fights of his career. A large section of the combat sports community thought he deserved the judges’ nod.
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Despite an impressive debut, oddsmakers are not convinced about the French-Cameroonian’s chances against ‘AJ'. Opening odds by sportsbetting.ag have Joshua as a -500 favorite. Meanwhile, Ngannou is a +350 underdog. The odds were recently posted on MMA Fighting’s X account:
Fight fans took to the comments section and shared their thoughts on Joshua being a massive favorite:
@TheDoctorShun commented:
“Putting my mortgage and my kids’ tuition on Ngannou.”
@JustAaronThanks wrote:
“I personally think Fury really underestimated Francis. I don’t think Joshua is going to do the same.”
Check out other comments below:
Francis Ngannou beat top heavyweight boxers to bag the Anthony Joshua fight
Anthony Joshua was heading towards a highly anticipated mega-fight against fellow former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder. Their potential wins at the Day of Reckoning event were expected to set the stage for the grand showdown in early 2024. However, Wilder’s loss to Joseph Parker eliminated the possibility of the fight taking place, at least for now.
Joshua’s manager and boxing promoter Eddie Hearn recently revealed that Ngannou, Filip Hrgovic, and Zhilei Zhang were in the discussion as the former champion’s next opponent, among others.
The former UFC heavyweight champion’s name was finalized and Ngannou gave the first reaction after the fight was announced:
“Making big moves in the new year. 2024 is going to be [Fire emoji].”
