Joshua defeated Ngannou with a spectacular knockout in the second round

With practically no sweat, Anthony Joshua did what his compatriot and WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury couldn’t: knock out Francis Ngannou.

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anthony joshua scored one spectacular knockout About this Francis Ngannou In the second round of their heavyweight fight Friday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; A right hand that landed squarely on the former champion’s chin ufc heavyweight And left him unconscious.

After Ngannou regained consciousness, ring officials administered oxygen to the 37-year-old, who was boxing for the second time.

Englishman Joshua, 34, knocked out Ngannou with a right hand in the first round, and when he beat the count, he looked shaky. The former heavyweight boxing champion scored another knockdown in the second round, an off-balance shot that landed on Ngannou’s left ear.

Moments after Ngannou woke up from the second knockdown, Joshua put him down for good with a right hand that landed on his face. As the 272 ½-pound MMA fighter fell to the canvas in a heap, Ngannou’s leg buckled awkwardly beneath him.

“On the road to the championship you always have to stay focused,” Joshua said after the fight. “It was me moving away from that mission… but when I saw the (Ngannou) and Tyson Fury fight, I thought, ‘Hey, this guy can fight,’ so I said I need a little bit of that.

“He’s an inspiration… He’s a great champion. It doesn’t take away from his abilities because it’s something in boxing. He can come back.”

Ngannou posted on social media after the defeat

Ngannou (0-2) shocked the sports world in October when he faced ESPN’s No. 1 heavyweight Fury and defeated him via split decision in the third round. Originally from Cameroon, Ngannou is considered one of the UFC’s greatest heavyweights of all-time, but it was still a big surprise that he was able to fight the best heavyweight boxer in the world.

Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) was set to fight former champion Deontay Wilder on this date, after Joseph Parker scored an upset victory over Wilder in December. On the same card, Joshua scored a fourth-round TKO victory over Otto Wallin.

With Wilder out of the mix, Ngannou stepped in for an unprecedented second professional boxing match against someone from the sport’s elite. This performance was not as good as before.

“He believed in his dreams and chased them,” Fury said. “He made a lot of money, which is great to support his family. He had a great journey. If he wants to box let him continue… As a champion in MMA he is still undefeated . Just because he lost tonight, he can go back into fighting MMA and destroy that world again… keep your chin up.”

Ngannou’s last MMA fight took place in January 2022, when he defeated Cyril Gane by decision to retain his UFC Heavyweight Championship. He later parted ways with the organization due to disagreements over his financial value and signed with the PFL.

But Ngannou has yet to compete in the PFL and told ESPN on Sunday he’s not sure he’ll have an MMA fight this year. Of course, that was before Joshua summarily knocked him out in the boxing ring.

“I told him he shouldn’t quit boxing,” Joshua said. “He can do it well. Remember, he’s fought two and he’s fought the best.”

Joshua is ESPN’s No. 3 heavyweight. The Olympic gold medalist won his first title in 2016 and made six saves, including wins over Wladimir Klitschko and Parker, before being stopped in seven rounds by Andy Ruiz in one of the biggest upsets ever in the most glamorous division.

Joshua regained all three of his titles from Ruiz via decision in Riyadh later that year and, after a successful defense, lost to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021. Usyk defeated Joshua for the second time via decision in their 2022 rematch.

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Following two losses to Usyk, Joshua joined trainer Derrick James and defeated Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius last year. Joshua turned the corner again and linked up with Fury’s former trainer Ben Davison and looked refreshed ahead of his fight against Wallin in December.

Joshua returned to his search-and-destroy style in December, breaking Wallin’s nose and forcing him to retreat to his stool.

After an explosive knockout win over Ngannou, there is no doubt that Joshua has fully regained the confidence he seemed to have lost following losses to Ruiz and Usyk.

“He destroyed Francis Ngannou,” said Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn. “The best heavyweight in the world and I can’t wait for him to beat Tyson Fury.”

For now, the best heavyweight in the world will be determined on May 18 in Riyadh, when Fury faces Usyk for the undisputed championship. They are also set for a rematch later this year.

But if Fury can emerge victorious from the series of fights, the long-awaited showdown with Joshua could finally come to fruition.

“It’s Usyk and I fighting for the No. 1 and 2 spots and the undisputed world championship,” Fury said.

He further added, “I had a bad performance against Ngannou. I never said anything different… (Joshua) knocked him out and that’s what a boxer should have done to him. If (Joshua) comes after me and asks me in the future, Fights I have worked with Usyk twice Next year, it will be something different.