Anthony Joshua defeats Francis Ngannou with second round knockout
Anthony Joshua has defeated Francis Ngannou by knockout in the second round.
The result takes the Brit's boxing record to 28-3-0 with 25 wins by KO, following up on his three back-to-back wins after losing to Oleksandr Usyk in consecutive bouts.
Anthony Joshua put on a show for all the fans watching, as he started the fight with all guns blazing, landing several shots on Ngannou in the early stages.
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It led to Ngannou being knocked down in the first round, though the Cameroonian managed to get up.
In the second round though, Joshua landed a nasty right hand to Ngannou's jaw, dropping him to the canvas again as his legs buckled and the fight was stopped.
Anthony Joshua is now expected to face off against Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk, with their fight finally taking place in on May 18 in their undisputed heavyweight bout, before a rematch takes place later in 2024.
Prior to the fight, the 34-year-old Brit weighed in at 252.4 lbs (114 kg) at the Thursday weigh-in, compared to his heavier Cameroonian counterpart who weighed in at 272.6 lbs (124 kg).
It meant that Joshua is over half a kilogram heavier than he was for his last fight against Otto Wallin, with Ngannou also putting on weight from his last fight against Tyson Fury.
Fury and Ngannou also had a war of words during Wednesday's final pre-fight press conference, but things seemed calmer during Thursday's weigh-in.
As for Joshua, there was a respect between the fighters, though it didn't stop either from making sweeping statements on what they were going to do in the ring tonight.
When asked what the result was going to be, Joshua simply said: "Official prediction…? I deliver – I am the postman."
Ngannou on the other hand, made clear that he is not the favourite to win but still exuded confidence: “This is just my second boxing match, even though I am taking on the two best guys in the world in boxing.
“I am the underdog, I am going out there to prove that you can be an underdog and stand your ground.”
But when speaking about if Joshua or any other boxer were to make the crossover to MMA, he stated: “I would smoke this guy. I am the only one to go in their backyard, none of them can come in my backyard. I would take two of them at once.”
Joshua vs Ngannou Knockout Chaos results:
Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou - Winner: Joshua
Zhilei Zhang vs. Joseph Parker - Winner: Parker by majority decision
Rey Vargas vs. Nick Ball - Winner: Split Draw
Israil Madrimov vs. Magomed Kurbanov - Winner: Madrimov by TKO
Gavin Gwynne vs. Mark Chamberlain - Winner: Chamberlain by TKO
Justis Huni vs. Kevin Lerena - Winner: Huni
Topics: Anthony Joshua, Boxing
Joshua Nair