Anthony “AJ” Joshua (28-3) delivered a stunning knockout to Francis “The Predator” Ngannou (0-2), leaving him unconscious for minutes during their second-round bout on Friday at Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia. After a formidable strike, the former UFC heavyweight champion required oxygen to revive.
In the fight’s early moments, Joshua, 34, knocked Ngannou down in the first round as Ngannou adopted a southpaw stance, repeating the feat in the next round. The audience fell silent as medical staff quickly attended to Ngannou following the referee’s stoppage of the count.
Ngannou, 37, regained his feet but appeared disoriented, clearly confused about the events that had transpired. Despite enduring knockdowns in both the first and second rounds, it took only one powerful punch from Joshua to bring Ngannou down a third time conclusively.
Tyson Fury, who had previously faced Ngannou in the latter’s boxing debut, watched from ringside. Fury, recovering from an injury, is scheduled to fight Oleksandr Usyk on May 18.
Debate swirls around whether Joshua surpasses Tyson Fury. Fury, 35, won against Ngannou by unanimous decision in a match some argue he should have lost, prompting promoter Eddie Hearn to tout Joshua as the superior fighter.
When confronted with these claims, Fury countered that Joshua must defeat him to claim the title of the ultimate fighter.
As a two-time heavyweight champion, Joshua aims to reclaim the sport’s zenith, confident in his current peak form.
