Francis Ngannou makes first comments since booking Anthony Joshua fight

Francis Ngannou believes his boxing match with Anthony Joshua is the start of a wild 2024 for him.

'The Predator' recently booked his second boxing match against 'AJ'. Just months following his split-decision loss to Tyson Fury, where he nearly shocked the world, he will attempt to do it again. On March 8, Ngannou will face the British former champion.

The bout came together largely thanks to Deontay Wilder's loss to Joseph Parker last month. Following the 'Day of Reckoning' event, Eddie Hearn publically canceled the scheduled boxing match between 'The Bronze Bomber' and Joshua.

At the time, the promoter stated that Ngannou was in the running to face Joshua. Names such as WBO interim heavyweight champion Zhilei Zhang and top contender Filip Hrgovic were also included.

In the end, it was the former UFC heavyweight champion who got the nod. Following the fight's announcement, the latter recently posted to X. There, the PFL heavyweight contender stated that he was "making big moves" in the year.

Taking to X, Ngannou posted:

"Making big moves in the new year, 2024 is going to be [fire]"

Later, on Instagram, the PFL heavyweight contender posted again about the contest. While he knows it's no longer breaking news, he's looking forward to meeting Joshua in Saudi Arabia.

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Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua: Opening betting odds

It appears that bettors are still not sure about Francis Ngannou in the boxing ring.

Heading into his debut in October against Tyson Fury, 'The Predator' was a huge underdog. It made sense at the time, as 'The Gypsy King' was arguably the greatest pound-for-pound boxer alive.

However, the former UFC heavyweight champion nearly upset Fury late last year in Saudi Arabia. Now, just a few months later, Ngannou has scheduled a boxing match against another top-tier heavyweight in the form of Anthony Joshua.

If one expected 'The Predator' vs. Tyson Fury to change the minds of oddsmakers, they would be wrong. Following the announcement of Ngannou's next fight against Joshua, betting lines were quickly released.

According to the current line from Fanduel, 'AJ' is currently a -1100 favorite for the March 8 boxing match. Meanwhile, Ngannou returns as a heavy +640 underdog. While there's still a lot of time between now and fight night for that line to change, the PFL heavyweight appears to be doubted.

Then again, if there's a man who could upset the odds, it would be 'The Predator'.