The second attempt did not have the charm of the first. A little more than four months after making Tyson Fury falter, Francis Ngannou, mixed martial arts (MMA) star, this time, was no match for Anthony Joshua on Saturday June 9 in Riyadh.
The British boxer quickly dispatched the 37-year-old former UFC heavyweight champion to the mat, who was declared knocked out. from the second round. Despite this express victory, Joshua had words of encouragement for the Franco-Cameroonian. “You are an inspiration, don’t quit boxing. If you need anything, we’ll talk about it later”he whispered in his ear as soon as the fight ended.
Francis Ngannou came very close to the feat for his debut in English boxing, on October 29, by sending Tyson Fury, WBC heavyweight champion and huge favorite, to the mat in the third round and shaking up the “Gipsy King” like never before. Even though he had lost in a split – and controversial – decision by the judges, he had won all the esteem of the world of combat sports, living up to his reputation as a dangerous puncher.
Tyson Fury and Ronaldo present at ringside
“When I saw his fight against Tyson Fury, I said to myself: ‘I want my part too.’ He is a great champion and that does not take away from his abilities. He’s in two fights and he’s faced the best.”explained Anthony Joshua.
Tyson Fury, unrecognizable and seemingly out of shape in October, had undoubtedly underestimated Ngannou. Anthony Joshua was warned and had obviously not taken his opponent lightly.
The two boxers made their entrance on stage around 3:20 a.m. local time (1:20 a.m. in Paris), to the sound of the voice of iconic boxing announcer Michael Buffer, and under the eyes of a panel of boxing stars. boxing, including, among others, Manny Pacquiao and Tyson Fury himself, or even football like the former Brazilian player Ronaldo and the Portuguese coach José Mourinho.
Sent to the mat several times
While we could expect an observation round in the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, the new stronghold of boxing, the fight started at a high pace from the first exchanges. Sent to the ground in the first round with a powerful straight right hit in the jaw, Ngannou was unable to respond against a stronger and more technical Joshua. Things only got worse and he then suffered two more knockdowns during the second round.
The third was too much and Ngannou collapsed with his whole body, leading the referee to put an end to hostilities. Lying on his back for some time, he had to receive medical attention inside the ring before being escorted back to his stool.
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With this second foray into a ring, Ngannou pursued his dream of becoming English boxing champion. But he is now set to make his return to the MMA cages with a fight scheduled for 2024 against PFL mixed martial arts league champion Renan Ferreira.
At 34 years old, Anthony Joshua, for his part, now has 28 victories in 31 fights, the fourth in a row, and is back in the hierarchy of the heavyweight category. He now hopes to face in his next fight the winner of the clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, who face each other in May for the unified heavyweight title.