Anthony Joshua delivered another powerful statement to the heavyweight division with a destructive second-round knockout win over Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on Friday night.
Joshua floored a shell-shocked Ngannou with a vicious right hand in the opening round before knocking down the former UFC heavyweight champion twice in the next, the second of which would leave Ngannou flat out for the count.
A dazed Ngannou rose to his feet in Riyadh but was stunned by an explosive and formidable right moments later as the referee halted the contest. The 37-year-old appeared to be out before he even hit the canvas and required medical treatment.
“I’m going back to my cage and when they let me out, I’ll fight again,” Joshua said, as WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury watched on from ringside.
The prospective prize had featured prominently throughout the build-up in Saudi Arabia, with victory now expected to pave the way to a shot at the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s clash for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18.
“When I saw the fight with Fury, I thought damn, this guy could fight, I wanted a piece of that. [Ngannou] is a great champion and this doesn’t take anything away from his capabilities,” Joshua said.
“I told him not to leave boxing. He’s two fights in and he’s fought the best.”
The victory moves two-time world champion Joshua to 28-3 in his career, and his fourth win in 11 months, as he keeps alive his ambition of recapturing a world title.
Former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager, Jose Mourinho was also at the ringside to congratulate Anthony Joshua after his explosive KO win over Ngannou.
Ngannou, meanwhile, claims that despite losing to Josuah, he has no intention of quitting boxing. Despite having lost both of his boxing fights, the 37-year-old has brushed off talk of returning permanently to mixed martial arts (MMA).
“You can be sure I’m not done here. It wasn’t my day. He was way better than me today, it sucks but it’s the game. We all know that, Ngannou said.
