Anthony Joshua knocks Francis Ngannou out chilly with ruthless efficiency in Saudi Arabia

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Anthony Joshua knocked Francis Ngannou out chilly on Friday to place himself for a shot on the undisputed heavyweight title and the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

Joshua dropped ex-UFC champion Ngannou in spherical one with a clear proper hand, earlier than doing the identical in spherical two. After Ngannou beat the referee’s rely following the second knockdown, Joshua knocked the Cameroonian out chilly together with his very subsequent punch – one other proper cross.

With the win, “AJ” made it back-to-back wins beneath Ben Davison, a former coach of Fury. Underneath Davison, 34-year-old Joshua stopped Otto Wallin in 5 rounds in December.

Like that win over Wallin, and Ngannou’s boxing debut in opposition to Fury in October, Joshua’s victory occurred in Riyadh. Billed as “Knockout Chaos”, Friday’s occasion was the newest combat card placed on by Turki Al-Sheikh in Saudi Arabia.

“It’s what it’s,” stated Joshua, a former two-time unified champion. “We welcomed [Ngannou to boxing], he’s a fantastic champion. It doesn’t take away from his functionality. He can come once more, I instructed him he can keep in boxing. It’s as much as him.

“The Ben Davison efficiency centre [is the reason for my improvement]. I’m hungry, keep hungry, and all that great things. I don’t know [if I’m coming into my peak]. It solely takes one shot.

“If that was me [losing], you’d be saying, ‘Joshua ought to retire.’ I don’t know if I’m in my peak. I’m pushing day-to-day, who is aware of the place it is going to take me? In 5 years, I received’t be combating no extra, this shall be a distant reminiscence. I simply need to combat. Sure, [the winner of Fury vs Usyk].”

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn added: “I’m so happy with him. His Excellency [Al-Sheikh] stated if we win this combat, we’ll combat the winner of Fury vs Usyk. You’re wanting on the baddest man on the planet.

“On this kind, there’s no man that may beat this man within the heavyweight division. Tyson Fury, please beat Usyk, you’ll get the largest combat within the historical past of the game.

“That was probably the most harmful knockouts I’ve ever seen. What I stated would occur occurred, he destroyed Ngannou. He’s a savage, a beast, I can’t look ahead to him to beat Tyson Fury.”

Consideration now turns to the undisputed combat between WBC champion Fury and unified champion Usyk, who will collide in Riyadh on 18 Could.

Fury and Usyk had been as a result of field one another in February, however their combat was postponed on quick discover when the “Gypsy King” sustained a lower over his eye.

Fury, 35, survived a surprising knockdown by Ngannou in October to win a controversial choice in opposition to the MMA fighter.

Ngannou, 37, final fought in blended martial arts in January 2022, retaining the UFC heavyweight title, which he vacated upon leaving the promotion in early 2023.

In Friday’s co-main occasion, Joseph Parker survived two knockdowns to outpoint Zhilei Zhang and win the WBO interim heavyweight title.

Zhang knocked down Parker with a southpaw straight in spherical three, earlier than dropping the New Zealander with a brief proper hook in spherical eight. Nonetheless, it was Parker who did the higher work throughout 12 rounds, securing a majority-decision win over the Chinese language veteran (113-113, 114-112, 115-111).

The consequence noticed Parker, 32, construct upon his victory over Deontay Wilder, whom he outpointed in December.