Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou faced off against Anthony Joshua in the main event of today’s boxing extravaganza held in Saudi Arabia.
The bout, dubbed ‘Ngannou vs. Joshua’, was scheduled for ten rounds in the heavyweight division.
Francis Ngannou, with a record of 17 wins and 3 losses in MMA, ventured into professional boxing last October against the reigning WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Despite being considered a significant underdog by the bookmakers, ‘The Predator’ managed to astonish the world by knocking down ‘The Gypsy King’ and taking the fight to a decision. Despite ultimately losing by split decision, Ngannou’s performance elevated his standing in the eyes of many fans.
Anthony Joshua, boasting a record of 28 wins and 3 losses, had recently competed at the ‘Day of Reckoning‘ event just last month, where he secured a fifth-round TKO victory over Otto Wallin. This victory marked Joshua’s third consecutive win, following triumphs over Robert Helenius and Jermaine Franklin.
Fighters React to Anthony Joshua Flatlining Francis Ngannou
However, the ‘Joshua vs. Ngannou’ clash turned out to be largely one-sided. Anthony Joshua asserted his dominance early in the first round, dropping Francis Ngannou with a powerful left jab. From there, Joshua demonstrated superior speed and technical prowess, effectively controlling the fight. In the second round, Joshua sealed the deal with a decisive right hand that rendered ‘The Predator’ unconscious, prompting the referee to stop the fight.
The official result was announced as follows: Anthony Joshua emerged victorious over Francis Ngannou via knockout at 2 minutes and 38 seconds into the second round.
Check out how the the pro’s from mixed martial arts and boxing reacted on the night.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
