At Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena on Saturday, Anthony Joshua, the former heavyweight world champion, defeated Francis Ngannou three times in two rounds via knockout, putting him back in the running for another title shot.
The 37-year-old former UFC heavyweight champion, who had only fought twice in professional boxing, was knocked down by the huge Britishman in the first round with a straight right to the chin.
Joshua then spectacularly lived up to the hype during the second round of the “Knockout Chaos” battle, sending him hurtling again with a right-left combo and then an explosive right after he had defeated the count.
The bout was interrupted by the referee, who also pronounced Joshua the winner by knockout. Ngannou was knocked out and given medical attention before rising, dazed, to his feet.
After Ngannou defeated WBC champion Tyson Fury in his maiden fight in Riyadh in October and lost by a split decision, far more was expected of him, but Joshua was unforgiving.
“It is what it is,” he teased out to the assembly.
Watching from ringside was Fury, who on May 18 battles Oleksandr Usyk, the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO champion of Ukraine, in a rescheduled unification bout in Riyadh.
“My purpose here is to fight. “When it’s time to fight again, I’m going to go back to my cage, lock myself away, and then I’m going to be let out,” declared Joshua, eager to take on the victor of the Usyk vs. Fury bout.
Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, issued his own challenge, saying, “There’s a brilliant fighter down there in Tyson Fury.” “I hope you defeat Oleksandr Usyk, as it will lead to the greatest fight in history,” he said.
“That is one of the most destructive knockouts I’ve ever seen.”
Ngannou was told by Joshua that he was an inspiration and that he was welcome to return.
“I told him he shouldn’t leave boxing, he can do well,” he replied. “Keep in mind that he has battled the best in his last two battles. If he continues to be committed, he will succeed.
After suffering two knockdowns, Joseph Parker of New Zealand defeated Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang of China in an earlier undercard fight to win the WBO interim title via majority points decision.
After taking a straight left in the third round, Parker, who defeated American former WBC champion Deontay Wilder in Riyadh in December, got up and recovered from a left-right combination in the eighth round.
Parker was given the following scores by the ringside judges: 113-113, 114-112, and 115-111.
“We are contracted to have a rematch, so we will do it again,” Parker stated.
WBC featherweight champion Rey Vargas of Mexico and Britain’s Nick Ball previously battled to a split decision tie, despite the challenger flooring the belt holder twice.
Editing by Chris Reese and William Mallard; reporting by Alan Baldwin in London
