The British Anthony Joshua left no chance to the Cameroonian Francis Ngannou, a major MMA figure who was only competing in his second fight in English boxing on the night of March 8 to 9 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Joshua is now set to face the winner of the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk clash, while Ngannou will make his MMA return against PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira.
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This time, beginner’s luck didn’t help him. After knocking out Tyson Fury last October, MMA star Francis Ngannou was largely outclassed by Briton Anthony Joshua, who only needed two rounds to knock him out on the night of March 8 to 9 in Riyadh , in Saudi Arabia.
A former UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou, 37, was competing in only the second boxing fight of his career after a first defeat against Tyson Fury in the fall. At 34 years old, Joshua now has 28 victories in 31 fights, the fourth in a row, and puts himself back in the hierarchy of the category. He now hopes to face in his next fight the winner of the clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, who will face each other next May to win the unified heavyweight title.
Despite his stunning victory, Joshua had words of encouragement for Ngannou. “ You are an inspiration, don’t leave boxing. If you need anything, we’ll talk about it later », whispered the Briton in his ear at the end of the match. “ When I saw his fight against Tyson Fury, I said to myself: “I want my part too.” He is a great champion and that does not take away from his abilities. He is in two fights and he has faced the best. »
Joshua stronger and more technical
Francis Ngannou came very close to the feat for his debut in English boxing, on October 29, by sending Tyson Fury, WBC heavyweight champion and huge favorite, to the mat in the third round and shaking up the “Gipsy King” like never before. . Even though he lost in a split and controversial decision by the judges, he won the respect of the combat sports world, living up to his reputation as a formidable puncher.
Unrecognizable and seemingly out of shape, Tyson Fury had undoubtedly underestimated Ngannou that evening, a mistake that Anthony Joshua did not repeat last night. The two men entered the stage around 3:20 a.m. to the sound of the voice of the iconic boxing announcer, Michael Buffer, and under the eyes of a panel of boxing stars including Tyson Fury and Manny Pacquiao, and football stars like Cristiano Ronaldo or José Mourinho.
While we could expect an observation round in the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, the new stronghold of world boxing, the fight started at a high pace from the first exchanges. Sent to the ground with a powerful straight right to the jaw in the first round, the Cameroonian was unable to do anything against a much stronger and more technical Joshua. Things only got worse and he then suffered two more knockdowns during the second round.
The third was too much for Ngannou, who collapsed with his whole body, forcing the referee to put an end to hostilities. Lying on his back for some time, he had to receive medical attention inside the ring before being escorted back to his stool. With this second appearance in the ring, Ngannou pursued his dream of becoming English boxing champion. But he is now set to make his return to the MMA cages with a fight scheduled for 2024 against PFL champion Renan Ferreira.
(With AFP)