Anthony Joshua knocked out Francis Ngannou with a devastating second-round finish to shatter any prospect of a sensational upset and continue his march towards becoming a three-time world champion on Friday.
Joshua floored Ngannou in the opening round with a right hand, and when he beat the count, he appeared to be unsteady. The former boxing heavyweight champion produced another knockdown in Round 2, an equilibrium shot that connected on Ngannou’s left ear.
ESPN reports that after Ngannou rose from the second knockdown, Joshua planted him on the canvas for good with a perfectly placed straight right that landed flush. Ngannou’s leg bent awkwardly under him as all 272½ pounds of the MMA fighter fell to the canvas in a heap.
Ngannou, 0-2 in boxing, made his debut in the ring against heavyweight lineal champion Tyson Fury and lost a split decision, even dropping Fury with a left hook in Round 3. This time, he wouldn’t have the same success. Although he was putting together a strong first round, Joshua knocked him down and Ngannou seemingly couldn’t recover.
It arrived as the most destructive knockout of Joshua’s career to follow up statement stoppages over Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin in reigniting his pursuit of another world title opportunity.
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.
“When I saw the fight with Fury, I thought damn, this guy could fight, I wanted a piece of that,” said Joshua post-fight.
“He’s an inspiration, a great champion, and this shouldn’t take away from his capabilities. He can come again. I told him he shouldn’t leave boxing. He’s two fights in, and he’s fought the best.
“He can go a long way if he stays dedicated.”
Joshua had cut a laser-focused figure all week amid all the pageantry and promises, maintaining that approach as he delivered a knockout clinic to hand Ngannou a ruthless exposure to the true world of heavyweight boxing.
Ngannou had arrived riding the momentum of a staggering debut performance against Fury back in October, his shock third-round knockdown in defeat to the WBC champion earning him another lucrative day between the ropes.