Anthony Joshua scored an amazing knockout of Francis Ngannou in Round 2 of their heavyweight bout Friday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a right-hand man that landed tidy on the previous UFC heavyweight champ’s chin and rendered him unconscious.
After Ngannou restored his senses, ringside authorities administered oxygen to the 37-year-old, who was boxing for simply the 2nd time.
England’s Joshua, 34, scored a knockdown in the opening round with a right-hand man, and Ngannou seemed unstable after he beat the count. Joshua produced another knockdown in Round 2, a stability shot that linked on Ngannou’s left ear.
Moments after Ngannou increased from the 2nd knockdown, Joshua planted him on the canvas for excellent with a completely put directly right that landed flush. Ngannou’s leg bent awkwardly under him as all 272½ pounds of the MMA fighter was up to the canvas in a stack.
“On the path to the champion, you must constantly remain focused,” stated Joshua, a previous two-time heavyweight champ. “This was me stepping aside from that objective. … But when I saw [Ngannou] and the fight against Tyson Fury, I resembled, ‘Damn, this guy can fight,’ so I stated I require a piece of that.
“He’s a motivation. … He’s an excellent champ. This does not remove anything of his abilities since in boxing it’s one or the other. He can return.”
Ngannou required to social networks after the loss, posting on X, “Sorry guys I let you all down. Today was a bad day in the workplace however tomorrow will be another day. Thank you all for the love.”
Ngannou (0-2) stunned the sporting world in October when he dealt with Fury, ESPN’s No. 1 heavyweight, and dropped him in Round 3 en path to a split-decision loss. A local of Cameroon, Ngannou is thought about amongst UFC’s all-time finest heavyweights, however it was still a significant surprise that he had the ability to hang with the very best heavyweight fighter on the planet.
Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) was set to fight fellow previous champ Deontay Wilder on this date before Joseph Parker scored an upset win over Wilder in December. On that very same card, Joshua scored a fourth-round TKO triumph over Otto Wallin.
With Wilder out of the mix, Ngannou actioned in for an extraordinary 2nd professional boxing match against among the sport’s elite. This efficiency didn’t go almost in addition to the very first one.
“He thought in his dreams, and he followed it,” Fury stated. “He made a s— lots of cash, which is great to support his household. He had an excellent journey. Keep going if he wishes to box. … He’s still unbeaten as a champ in MMA. Just since he got beat here this evening, he can return to MMA and damage that world once again. … Keep your chin high.”
Ngannou’s last MMA bout happened in January 2022, when he beat Ciryl Gane by means of choice to keep his UFC heavyweight champion. He parted methods with the company later over an argument on his monetary worth and signed with PFL.
But Ngannou has yet to contend in the PFL and informed ESPN on Sunday that he was uncertain if he will have an MMA fight this year. That, naturally, was before he was summarily dismissed by Joshua in a boxing ring.
“I informed him he should not leave boxing,” Joshua stated. “He can do well. Remember, he’s 2 battles in, and he battled the very best.”
Joshua is ESPN’s No. 3 heavyweight. The Olympic gold medalist won his very first title in 2016 and made 6 defenses — consisting of wins over Wladimir Klitschko and Parker — before he was visited Andy Ruiz in 7 rounds in among the glamour department’s all-time most significant upsets.
He recovered his 3 titles from Ruiz by means of choice later on that year in Riyadh and, following one effective defense, was outpointed by Oleksandr Usyk in 2021. Usyk beat Joshua a 2nd time by means of choice in the 2022 rematch.
Joshua talked to fitness instructor Derrick James following the 2 losses to Usyk and went on to beat Jermain Franklin and Robert Helenius in 2015. Joshua once again altered his corner ahead of the December bout against Wallin, connecting with previous Fury fitness instructor Ben Davison, and he appeared revitalized.
Joshua went back to his seek-and-destroy design in December, breaking Wallin’s nose and requiring him to retire on his stool.
Following an explosive knockout triumph over Ngannou, there’s no doubt Joshua has actually totally gained back the self-confidence that appeared lost in the consequences of the beats to Ruiz and Usyk.
“He ruined Francis Ngannou,” stated Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn. “The finest heavyweight on the planet, and I can’t wait on him to beat Tyson Fury.”
For now, the world’s finest heavyweight will be identified May 18 in Riyadh when Fury satisfies Usyk for the undeniable champion. They are lined up for a rematch later on this year too.
But if Fury can emerge triumphant from the series of battles, the long-awaited face-off with Joshua might lastly emerge.
“It’s me and Usyk who fight for the No. 1 and No. 2 position and the undeniable champion of the world,” Fury stated.
He included: “I had a s— efficiency against Ngannou. I’ve never ever stated anything various. … [Joshua] knocked him out, which’s what a fighter ought to’ve done to him. If [Joshua] battles me in the future after I’m made with Usyk two times next year, it’ll be a various thing.”
