Anthony Joshua brutally defeats Francis Ngannou in the second round

(CNN) — It was all over before it really started in Saudi Arabia when Anthony Joshua defeated Francis Ngannou with a devastating knockout in the second round.

It was a much-needed victory for the 34-year-old Briton, who has struggled to perfect his boxing in recent years. However, Joshua looked like his old self this fight as he brutally defeated his opponent in Riyadh.

At the beginning of the fight, there were high expectations for Ngannou, it was only his second professional boxing match.

The French-Cameroonian had made his living in the UFC, where he was the heavyweight champion, but the veteran boxer wanted a change of scenery and moved from the octagon to the ring.

In his first professional fight, billed as the “Battle of the Baddest” against Tyson Fury, Ngannou performed well and spectators were amazed at how quickly he adapted to life as a boxer and how effortless he seemed. Against someone who is considered one of the best heavyweights of all time.

However, this time it was very different.

From the opening bell Joshua tried to impose himself on the newcomer to the sport. In the first round, Joshua knocked out his opponent with a deadly right hand and immediately took control of the Saudi Arabian capital.

In the second round, Joshua came out with everything and Ngannou had problems. Joshua’s combination sent Ngannou to the canvas again and this time the 37-year-old barely escaped the referee’s count.

At this point, Joshua danced to the canvas before landing a withering right hand that dropped Ngannou to the ground.

“I should be the WBC heavyweight world champion,” Joshua told reporters after the fight.

Ngannou was gracious about the loss when talking about the decisive blow and drew comparisons to Fury after the fight.

“It was very special because he stopped me. He did what Tyson Fury couldn’t do,” Ngannou told reporters.

Fury-Joshua is the fight a large part of the boxing world wants to see and after Joshua’s win it looks like it could be very close.

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn is confident about who will win that fight.

“Everyone knows he’s going to beat Tyson Fury, I’ve always believed that, there’s no doubt about it now,” Hearn told Sky Sports after the fight.