Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Joshua Makes Quick Work of Francis Ngannou

Originally posted on Big Fight Weekend
By S Saadeq Ahmed | Last updated 3/8/24

Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) did not need long to defeat Francis Ngannou (0-2, 0 KOs).

The two fighters clashed at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This bout was the main event of “Knockout Chaos,” a March 8 card that is part of Riyadh Season, a state-funded entertainment and sports festival. Fight fans were able to catch the action live on DAZN PPV around the world as well as Sky Sports PPV in the UK. The time of stoppage was 2:38 of round two.

Check out our earlier recap of the clash between Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang. Also, read our recap of Rey Vargas vs. Nick Ball and Israil Madrimov becoming world champion and other undercard bouts.

Anthony Joshua Decimates Francis Ngannou in KO Win

Joshua vs. Ngannou Recap

Both men spent the first two minutes studying each other. It did not take long for Joshua to land a straight right hand that sent Ngannou to the canvas with only a minute left in the opening round. The Cameroonian got up, but not for much longer.

“AJ” stayed patient, looking for the potential knockout punch. A right hand sent the former UFC champion down once again. Joshua followed that up with an even more devastating right hand that kept Ngannou on the canvas. Referee Ricky Gonzalez waved off the fight immediately after that.

A truly destructive performance from @anthonyjoshua @autozone | #JoshuaNgannou | #KnockoutChaos | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/2RvhUB8kwn

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) March 9, 2024

Post-Fight Comments

“It is what it is,” said Joshua after the fight.

“What I was saying is on the roots of the championship, you should always stay focused. This was me stepping aside from that mission. I thought it was something for the broadcasters and sponsors…but when I saw the fight with him [Ngannou] and Tyson Fury, I was like ‘damn, this guy can fight.’ So I said ‘I need a piece of that.’ As I said he’s an inspiration, so we wanted to welcome him. We broke bread together and he’s a great champion. This doesn’t take away anything from his capabilities. In boxing, it’s one or the other.”

During the post-fight interview, a potential fight with Fury was floated should the WBC champion emerge victorious against Oleksandr Usyk.

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