Colossal heavyweights clashed inside the boxing ring in Riyadh. One hailed from an accomplished amateur background, boasting Olympic Gold and a former unified heavyweight champion title. The other emerged from the realm of MMA, reigning as the undisputed champion and a formidable knockout artist.
In the bout known as Knockout Chaos, it was Anthony Joshua, the seasoned boxer, who secured victory over Francis Ngannou via a brutal second-round knockout. In contrast to his debut against Tyson Fury, Ngannou struggled to contend with the punishing power punches delivered by Joshua.
Anthony Joshua KO’s Francis Ngannou
Francis Ngannou entered the bout against Anthony Joshua as a massive underdog, a fact that Joshua made sure to prove. Joshua efficiently dominated Ngannou, who struggled to mount any significant offense against the former unified boxing heavyweight champion. The fight concluded in the second round when a powerful right hand rendered Ngannou unconscious.
Joshua initiated the bout with light footwork, employing jabs, while Ngannou seemed determined to land a knockout with his powerful right hand. Joshua seamlessly mixed head and body jabs, sending Ngannou to the ropes with a straight right hand as Ngannou shifted to a Southpaw stance in the first round of the contest.
Ngannou survived the first round as there were only a few seconds remaining but AJ finished his job in the second round. In the second round, an overly aggressive Ngannou was countered by Joshua with another powerful right hand that knocked the equilibrium out of the Cameroonian fighter.
As Ngannou rose to defeat the mandatory count, he was visibly dazed and Joshua landed a powerful right hand on the forehead of Ngannou that rendered the Cameroonian unconscious for a minute and medics were required to provide Oxygen to resuscitate the former UFC champion.
Francis Ngannou issues public apology
Leading into the fight, the topic of discussion was the power of Francis Ngannou and the skills of Anthony Joshua. Odds makers favored a finish for Ngannou or a decision victory for Joshua but the Brit flipped the script.
Ngannou was very vocal about knocking Joshua out as he cited that Joshua does not possess the chin of Tyson Fury. Therefore, after the brutal loss, Ngannou took to X to issue a public apology to his fans. “Sorry guys I let you all down 😔 Today was a bad day in the office but tomorrow will be another day,” tweeted Ngannou as he thanked the fans for the love they showered on him.
Sorry guys I let you all down 😔 Today was a bad day in the office but tomorrow will be another day.
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) March 9, 2024
Thank you all for the love ❤️
After the victory, Joshua praised Ngannou and even urged him not to stop boxing despite the setback. In the post-fight press conference, Ngannou acknowledged the loss and insinuated that his next fight will likely be in MMA, possibly against Renan Ferreira.
Despite the loss, Ngannou is expected to make his career-best payday for the fight which is 33 times more than his last fight purse with the UFC which was a meager $600K. Ngannou’s second-best payday was also in boxing which was on his debut where he made close to $15 million.
Do you think Francis Ngannou should stick to boxing after a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua? Leave your thoughts below!
