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Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou tips
- Anthony Joshua to win by TKO/KO - 4/6 with bet365
- Anthony Joshua to win in rounds 4-6 - 7/2 with Betfred
- Zhang vs Parker: Fight to go the distance - Yes - 11/8 with BetMGM
Anthony Joshua is back in action on Friday night when he steps into the ring to face former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (from 6pm, Sky Sports Box Office).
This bout would have seemed fanciful a year ago. However, Ngannou nearly shocked the world in his boxing debut when sending Tyson Fury to the canvas. Many believed he should have been awarded the win by the judges, but it wasn't to be.
Now AJ looks to avoid a similar embarrassment to his British rival in his attempts to set up a fight with the Gypsy King at some point and boxing betting sites expect the former heavyweight champion to get the job done.
Elsewhere on the latest fight night out of Saudi Arabia, Joseph Parker comes up against Zhilei Zhang. It's another fight that could further world title aspirations for the winner.
Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou tip: AJ ready to take down The Predator
Fury recently suggested his poor performance against Ngannou was like a WWE wrestler purposely making another look good.
Whilst that seems a far fetched excuse for struggling against the former UFC star, the fight last year is certainly ample warning for Joshua. He simply cannot afford to be ill-prepared going into this one.
His win against Otto Wallin at the Day of Reckoning show back in December was an indicator that the 2012 Olympic champion is maybe back to his best. He has to carry on that form on his return to Saudi Arabia, the same location as that win against Wallin.
It seems unlikely that anything Ngannou will do will come as a surprise to the British fighter, who is no bigger than 1/3 on betting apps for victory.
To that end, as long as the former boxing world champion stays away from a big shot from his opponent, he should come out as the winner on Friday night and is fancied to record the 25th win via stoppage of his 30-fight career.
Joshua vs Ngannou Tip 1: Anthony Joshua to win by TKO/KO - 4/6 with bet365
Patience could be key for Joshua
Early in his professional career, Joshua was known for his power and getting involved in brawls when things got a bit tougher. The wins over Dillian Whyte and Wladimir Klitschko were perfect examples of that.
He had moments where he proved he could fight more responsibly, like the win over Joseph Parker, only to go too gung-ho against Andy Ruiz and come unstuck.
The loss to Ruiz seemed to make Joshua more cautious, understandably, but the lack of aggression he showed in two fights with Oleksandr Usyk suggested he may have turned things down too much.
Against Wallin, we saw the best mixture of both styles. His footwork was on point, his jab worked wonders and when it was time to land the big shots he got those away as well.
Wallin didn't look anywhere near the level he was when taking on Fury a few years earlier, and AJ will be hoping to make the world champion's most recent opponent look equally bad.
The footwork from Joshua will be important once again in taking away Ngannou’s opportunity to find him with a big shot and frustrate the Cameroonian.
We're not expecting a particularly early finish to this one, Wallin lasted to the fifth round and it makes sense to back a similar fight duration in this one on gambling sites.
Joshua vs Ngannou Tip 2: Anthony Joshua to win in rounds 4-6 - 7/2 with Betfred
Zhilei Zhang vs Joseph Parker tips: Tough to separate contenders
Ahead of the main event, Zheili Zhang defends his WBO interim world title against Joseph Parker.
At some point soon the heavyweight belts are likely to be split up again so it's important for everyone to put themselves in a good position.
As interim champ, with back-to-back wins over Joe Joyce and only one defeat on his career record, Zhang is in a great position.
However, former WBO champ Parker will be hoping to get his hands back on the gold. His win over Deontay Wilder ended the Bronze Bomber’s hopes of fighting Joshua on this bill and was arguably the biggest win of his career.
He once again comes into this one as the underdog, although betting sites have it closer than his fight with Wilder.
Parker's tactic against the American was to come forward relentlessly and there's a good chance he'll attempt the same on Friday.
Zhang will want to get it done early to avoid tiring in the later rounds.
For many, it'll be a case of Zhang likely coming out on top if it finishes inside the distance or Parker getting the nod if it goes to points. We reckon this one has the potential to go 12 rounds.
Zhang vs Parker tip: Fight to go the distance - Yes - 11/8 with BetMGM
Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou predictions
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
