Joshua demolished Ngannou in two rounds

There was no photo this time. After crushing Tyson Fury, MMA star Francis Ngannou was largely outclassed by heavyweight Anthony Joshua, who needed just two rounds to knock him out, Friday to Saturday night in Riyadh. Ngannou, 37, a former UFC heavyweight champion, was taking part in just the second English boxing fight of his career, following his first loss to Tyson Fury in the fall.

Sent to the mat from the first round with a powerful straight right to the jaw, the Cameroonian, a ring novice, was unable to do anything against the brutal and surgical Joshua and suffered two other knockdowns in the second round. The third was too much and Ngannou then stayed on the ground, leading the referee to stop the rivalry.

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Joshua took Ngannou seriously

MMA star Ngannou came very close to the feat in his English boxing debut on October 29, sending Tyson Fury, the WBC heavyweight champion and heavy favorite, to the mat in the third round and knocking out the “Gypsy King” as never before. Although he lost in a split – and controversial – decision by the judges, he won all the respect in the world of combat sports. Unrecognizable and seemingly out of shape, Tyson Fury undoubtedly underestimated Ngannou four months ago, but this time, Anthony Joshua was warned and apparently did not take his opponent lightly.

With this fourth consecutive win, the 34-year-old Briton has put himself back in the heavyweight category hierarchy and has announced his intention to face the winner of the clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in May as his next fight. for the unified heavyweight title. Ngannou, meanwhile, has already planned to return to the MMA cage with a fight scheduled for 2024 against PFL champion Renan Ferreira.