Even before Francis Ngannou’s seismic frame had fully unfurled on the mat, referee Ricky Gonzalez was frantically waving his arms in panic. After just five minutes of action, the former UFC champion was knocked out by Anthony Joshua, and it looks like his boxing career is coming to an end after five months.
All Joshua(28-3, 25KOs) a 34-year old boxer from England accomplished on Friday in Riyadh was to simplify Ngannou to what he is—a boxing novice—by viewing him through a particular lens. That truth was refuted by Ngannou’s incredible performance against Tyson Fury in October, when he not only stopped the undefeated champion but also outboxed him for the better part of ten rounds. It also increased anticipation for his second boxing matchup with a rival many fans and commentators thought was more hittable than Fury.
The other side of the equation that rendered and destroyed the 37-year-old on Friday was that Joshua had a higher capacity than his fellow Briton to seriously injure Ngannou. Despite having never suffered a serious injury in mixed martial arts and having taken Fury’s clean elbow in October, Ngannou was taken out three times in two rounds by “AJ.”
It makes sense that Joshua, a two-time unified champion, has occasionally had trouble against southpaws, such as the legendary Oleksandr Usyk. However, when Ngannou adopted that position last weekend, it seemed as though Anthony Joshua had the clear realization, Once Ngannou had given up on his unconventional position, the last knockdown was both merciless and definitive. Joshua entered the fight and destroyed Ngannou with a shotgun right hand before the rookie could even get off the ground.
If Ngannou can reach a new agreement, it could be best for him to fight once more this winter in the PFL against a well-known boxer, although a B-level opponent rather than a top contender like Usyk, Joshua, or Fury. After presenting an unfavorable result from a drug test last year, Dillian Whyte has been given permission to resume boxing, and Ngannou may find enjoyment in facing Daniel Dubois and Jarrell Miller, who squared off in a December fight in Riyadh.
“I told him not to leave boxing. He’s two fights in and he fought the best. Don’t let this discourage you,” said Joshua in media reports.
“I think he’s an asset to boxing. I think he’s an asset to the fight game. Don’t be discouraged, and I respect you regardless,” he added.
