By James McKern
Francis Ngannou shocked the world when he made his boxing debut, on Saturday it was Anthony Joshua’s turn.
The former UFC heavyweight champ stepped into the ring against Joshua in a bout that had boxing fans the world over locked in.
You can watch the brutal knockout in the video above
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While many had hoped to see the Cameroonian deliver a stunning display following his fight against Tyson Fury, it was Joshua who stole the show in the blink of an eye.
After a feeling out period in the opening round, the former unified heavyweight champ put Ngannou on the canvas with a thunderous right hand.
Joshua lined up and stepped into the shot that landed flush on the face of Ngannou and sent him crashing onto his backside.
The onslaught continued into the second round when Joshua floored his rival before he unleashed a punch from hell to knock him out cold.
After Ngannou got back to his feet and the fight got back underway, Joshua wasted no time as he delivered a monstrous right hand that crumpled Ngannou over like a piece of paper.
“Ngannou’s out cold ladies and gentlemen. He’s not even moving,” one commentator said.
“Stunning power from Anthony Joshua. He came here to do a job. He clocked in and clocked out.
“What a performance from AJ. That was spiteful, that was hurtful.”
The boxing world couldn’t believe what it had just watched unfold as Joshua put boxing on notice with the finish.
Journalist Ariel Helwani wrote: “Holy shit. AJ just KO’d Ngannou out cold in the 2nd. It’s over. Wow.”
Boxing journalist Dan Rafael wrote: “Joshua absolutely erases Ngannou with a right hand in rd 2! Massive KO! Dropped him earlier in the round also. SAVAGE KO of the year.”
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons wrote: “Damn, Anthony Joshua with one of the most vicious heavyweight knockouts I’ve ever seen. That was an all timer.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn labelled it “one of the most destructive knockouts I’ve ever seen”.
Joshua heaped praise on Ngannou after the fight and urged the former UFC champ to not give up on boxing.
“It is what it is,” Joshua says.
“He’s a great champion. This doesn’t take away anything from his capabilities… he can come again.
“I told him he shouldn’t leave boxing. He can do well. He’s two fights in and he’s fought the best. He can go a long way if he stays dedicated.”
Now Joshua will eagerly await the fight between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk with the British star keen to take on the winner.
Absolutely loving this moment between @anthonyjoshua, @Francis_ngannou and @Turki_alalshikh ❤️️#JoshuaNgannou, live now worldwide on DAZN. Buy 𝗡𝗢𝗪 at https://t.co/FoiaUucafv #KnockoutChaos | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/kVqORMyUym
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) March 9, 2024
FIGHT CARD RESULTS
Anthony Joshua def. Francis Ngannou via KO
Joseph Parker def. Zhilei Zhang for the interim WBO heavyweight title
Rey Vargas def. Nick Ball for the WBC featherweight title
Israil Madrimov def. Magomed Kurbanov for the WBA super welterweight title
Mark Chamberlain def. Gavin Gwynne — lightweights
Justis Huni def. Kevin Lerena (UD 10) — heavyweights
Louis Greene def. Jack McGann (TKO 1/10) — super welterweights
Roman Fury def. Martin Svarc (PTS 6) — cruiserweights
Ziyad Almaayouf def. Christian Lopez Flores (PTS 6) — super lightweights
Andrii Novytskyi def. Juan Torres (KO 3/8) — heavyweights