After the surprising mixed martial arts star Tyson Fury Francis Ngannou has been vastly outclassed by Anthony Joshuathat it only took two rounds to knock him out on Friday night into Saturday in Riyadh.
Former UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou37, is competing in just the second boxing fight of his career after a first loss against Tyson Fury last fall.
Quite the opposite of its rival. At 34 years old, Joshua He now has 28 wins in 31 fights, four in a row, and is back in the hierarchy of the heavyweight category. He now hopes to face the winner of the clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in his next fight, which will meet in May for the unified heavyweight title.
Despite his quick success, Joshua had words of encouragement for Ngannou. “You are an inspiration, don’t give up boxing. If you need anything, we’ll talk about it later,” the Briton whispered in his ear at the end of the fight. “When I saw his fight with Tyson Fury, I said to myself: ‘I want my part too. ‘ He’s a great champion and that doesn’t take away from his abilities. He’s done two fights and faced the best,” he encouraged his rival.
Ngannou He came very close to victory in his English boxing debut on October 29 by submission Tyson Fury, WBC heavyweight champion and heavy favorite, in the third round and knock out the ‘Gypsy King’. He lost a controversial split decision from the judges, but earned the respect of the combat sports world, living up to his reputation as a dangerous puncher.
Unrecognizable and seemingly out of shape, Tyson Fury certainly underestimated Ngannou that night, but this time, Anthony Joshua was warned and didn’t simply ignore his opponent.
The two men took the stage around 3:20 am local time to the sound of iconic boxing announcer Michael Buffer, and as a panel of boxing stars looked on, including Tyson Fury and Manny Pacquiaoand soccer stars like Cristiano Ronaldo or José Mourinho.
The match started at a good pace from the first exchanges. Knocked down in the first round with a powerful right hand to the jaw, the Cameroonian, a rookie in the ring, did nothing against a stronger and more technical Joshua. He then suffered two more knockdowns in the second round.
The third is too much and Ngannou fell with his whole body, prompting the referee to end the fight. Down for several hours, he had to receive medical attention inside the ring before being carted back to his corner.
In this second foray into a ring, Ngannou pursued his dream of becoming an English boxing champion. But now he is ready to return to the mixed martial arts cage with a fight scheduled in 2024 against PFL champion Renan Ferreira.
Source: La Verdad
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