Anthony Joshua said goodnight to Francis Ngannou in the second round of their heavyweight bout Friday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) knocked out Ngannou (0-2) via a powerful right hand with just over 30 seconds left in round two. The Cameroonian quickly crumpled to the canvas and lay motionless as the referee called the fight in favor of the Brit.
Anthony Joshua sleeps Francis Ngannou 😱 #JoshuaNgannou https://t.co/mmzJLcR8Dx
— bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) March 9, 2024
Ngannou held his own early in the first round but got clocked by a huge right haymaker that sent the 37-year-old to the mat — the first of three knockdowns for Joshua. Ngannou got knocked down again in the second round just moments before Joshua delivered the third and final KO punch.
Anthony Joshua Drops Francis Ngannou In The First Round‼️
Representing for the sport of Boxing..Wow‼️#Boxing pic.twitter.com/DG5AyNW0k6
— AccordingToBoxing (@AccordToBoxing) March 9, 2024
Ngannou’s performance Friday was in stark contrast to his boxing debut last October against Tyson Fury.
The former UFC champion lost in a controversial split decision against the Gypsy King. But Ngannou was able to score a memorable knockdown during the bout (video here).
Several fighters and other sports stars even expressed that Ngannou should have won the fight over Fury.
Despite the loss to Fury, Ngannou sent out a confident warning after the October fight that he was ready to wreak havoc on heavyweight boxing.
It’s safe to say Ngannou did not live up to his own hype against Joshua.
