Anthony Joshua scored one for boxing early Saturday morning in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In a period when boxing has gotten a bad name, Joshua destroyed former UFC champion-turned-boxer Francis Ngannou in two rounds.
The definitive shot came from a mammoth right hand that left Ngannou flat on his back, unconscious for several moments.
The KO was brutal and beautiful, a microcosm of the sport.
In the first round, Joshua paced himself before unleashing a straight right hand that dropped the Cameroonian. Ngannou got to his feet, but he looked bewildered, more by the skill than the power of the shot.
Ngannou survived the round, but the savage end came in the next frame.
Another right hand from Joshua dropped Ngannou again early in the second before the titanic right hand in the video above finished things. After the KO, Ngannou had to be administered oxygen, and it took him a while to get to his feet.
The humbled giant still looked out of sorts as the official decision was read, and Joshua attempted to comfort and encourage him to continue his boxing career.
Less than three months after Ngannou embarrassed and nearly defeated Tyson Fury in the former’s boxing debut, Joshua did to him what most believed the lineal heavyweight champ should have done.
Joshua’s performance will stymie thoughts that a mixed martial artist can hop into a boxing ring and achieve immediate success. Ngannou is a spectacular athlete capable of blurring the lines of combat sports logic, but on Saturday, we learned that he even has a ceiling in the sweet science.
A fit Fury was ringside to see Joshua’s performance, and the latter called his rival out for a fight later in the year. Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn was in the ring talking up the potentially colossal bout, but Fury has to take care of business against Oleksandr Usyk in May before he can face Joshua.
Throughout his career, Joshua has endured some ups and downs and criticism from the boxing community. Following back-to-back losses to Usyk, Joshua has won his last four fights, the last three of which were stoppages.
At 34, Joshua looks as good and focused as he has ever been. If Fury defeat Usyk, the meeting between him and Joshua will be one of the biggest heavyweight fights in history. As for Ngannou’s next fight, it will likely be in mixed martial arts.
He’s set to face Professional Fighters League champion Renan Ferreira later this year after the Brazilian destroyed Ryan Bader in Riyadh last month at the first PFL Vs. Bellator event.
After suffering the first KO loss of his career–in any sport–Ngannou may need some time to heal physically and mentally. It’ll be interesting to see how this impacts him moving forward in his combat sports career.
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