Big Fight Preview & Prediction: Joshua vs. Ngannou

Big Fight Preview & Prediction: Joshua vs. Ngannou

By Matt Elliott

With the end of Riyadh season in sight, there is still time for one more huge boxing event as Anthony Joshua faces Francis Ngannou tonight on a show dubbed ‘Knockout Chaos.’

Originally scheduled as the date for the long-awaited clash between Joshua and Deontay Wilder, plans were quickly put in place for this replacement when Joseph Parker derailed that fight with a one-sided victory over the big-punching American back in December.

Of course, whilst the season draws to an official close, there are still plenty of boxing events planned for the spring and summer, with the rearranged undisputed heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk scheduled for May and plans to host the undisputed light heavyweight showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol in early June, the latter expected to feature the Matchroom versus Queensberry, five against five, as its undercard.

Over the last twelve months, Saudi Arabia, under the guiding hand of Turki Alalshikh, has certainly emerged as the likely destination for boxings mega fights, at least for the near future, with a seemingly bottomless pit of money made available to get fighters to sign on the dotted line. Whatever your view on Riyadh as the destination for these fights, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in general, this feels like it is only the beginning, with Alalshikh not only putting up the purses needed to secure the big names, but persuading networks to set aside, or at least flex, their contracts with Matchroom and Queensberry, as well as investing heavily in the whole spectacle, which has involved promotional packages which would not feel out of place in Hollywood, and for this next event, even the development of a street fighter-esque virtual app, where viewers can choose to fight as Joshua or Ngannou.

So, to fight night itself. On paper, this looks like a very solid card. Aside from the main event, there is a very appealing clash between Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang which will head an undercard that includes the WBC world featherweight title fight between Nick Ball and Rey Vargas and a clash between Israil Madrimov and Magomed Kurbanov for the vacant WBA junior middleweight title. 

The main event is certainly an interesting one. When it was announced last year that WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury was to face Francis Ngannou, it was met with derision from most boxing fans, who felt the fight made a mockery of the sport.

Ngannou, an accomplished UFC star, was making his boxing debut, and virtually nobody gave him a chance against the Gypsy King, who many regard as the greatest heavyweight of this generation. Those pre-fight opinions were blown apart inside three rounds, with Ngannou flooring Fury and giving him all kinds of problems before ultimately losing on a split decision. The questions remain as to how seriously Fury took the fight, and whilst publicly he continues to claim he had a gruelling camp, it does not take a fitness guru to take one look at his physique on fight night and realise that probably wasn’t the case.

With Joshua, we know he will walk to the ring physically prepared; the question will be whether he is mentally in the right place. He certainly should be. Three victories in 2023, including the demolition of Otto Wallin in December, should have restored his confidence, and he will come into this one as a huge favourite. Joshua also has the benefit of having watched Ngannou inside a boxing ring, a luxury Fury didn’t have, and that should help his preparation.

Whilst Ngannou can undoubtedly pack a punch, I don’t believe he will get the chance against Joshua, who I expect to use his jab to keep his opponent at range, before wearing him down and stopping him late in the fight, to set up a future fight with the winner of Fury and Usyk and a chance to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.