Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou odds, prediction, time: March 8 fight card picks by proven boxing expert

A heavyweight title shot is likely at stake Friday when former two-time champion Anthony Joshua takes on crossover combat star Francis Ngannou in a 10-round boxing main event. The showdown is expected to start at 6 p.m. ET from the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ngannou is the former UFC heavyweight champion who made a splash with his foray into professional boxing by pushing WBC champion Tyson Fury to a razor-thin split decision in October. That performance parlayed into an opportunity to fight Joshua, the former champion who is seeking another title bid of his own and heads into the ring on a three-fight winning streak.

Joshua is a -320 favorite (risk $320 to win $100), while Ngannou comes back at +250 in the latest Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou odds. The over/under for total rounds completed is 6.5, with the Over favored at -145. Before making any Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua picks, make sure you see the boxing predictions and betting advice from SportsLine combat expert Brandon Wise.  

Wise, who is the combat sports editor for CBS Sports, is an experienced boxing and mixed martial arts analyst who has consistently provided winning selections for SportsLine members. For the past four years, he has hit numerous boxing selections in big-time matchups.

For example, just last week Wise called a win in Round 1 for Jake Paul (+200) against Ryan Bourland and also advised SportsLine members to take the Under 1.5 rounds (+120). Both bets connected when Paul scored a knockout toward the end of the first round. Anyone who has followed Wise's combat sports picks has already seen massive returns.

Now, with Friday's fight card approaching, Wise has studied the matchup from every angle and released confident picks for the fights. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine. 

Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou preview 

One thing Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) made clear as his matchup with Ngannou approaches is that he will not take the former UFC champion for granted as an opponent. Although Joshua concedes he once believed the recent trend of MMA-boxing crossover matches was farcical, Ngannou's performance against Fury altered his perspective. Joshua now insists he won't step into the ring Friday expecting an easy fight.

"They spoke about this fight before and I said: 'No, it's a gimmick,'" Joshua told the media. "It's not something I thought was right, crossing over when I'm chasing heavyweight glory. But when they saw what happened with Ngannou against Fury, this opportunity presented itself again. I never turn down a challenge and we can now get rid of the word gimmick.

"I looked at MMA crossing over into boxing as a gimmick. But I can now see certain MMA fighters can box, and he's one of them. I see him as someone who is serious about boxing." 

Although Ngannou's (17-3 MMA, 0-1 boxing) performance against Fury sent shockwaves through the combat world, the former UFC heavyweight champion says he wasn't surprised at his performance. Ngannou told the media this week he was convinced he could beat Fury and is still disappointed that the close decision didn't go his way.

Even so, the 37-year-old reiterated that he doesn't see boxing as a novelty hobby or a way to cash in on his newfound appeal to the sport's audience. He believes a win over Joshua could put him in contention for a title shot, and promoter Eddie Hearn told the media he believes the winner of Friday's fight should become the front-runner for a title shot against Fury or Usyk, who are scheduled to fight each other May 18 for the unified title, sometime later this year.

"I don't think I've shocked the world just yet," Ngannou said. "I'm just getting started. I don't think beating Joshua will make any statement for my career because the road is still long." See who to pick here. 

How to make Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou picks

Wise likes the over 6.5 rounds. He also locked in a pair of confident prop picks that each return around +400. He's only sharing his picks and analysis at SportsLine.