In a brutal display, Anthony Joshua secured a second-round knockout victory over Francis Ngannou on Saturday morning, March 9, in their highly anticipated boxing clash.
Ngannou had stunned the world with his boxing debut last October, flooring the undefeated WBC champion Tyson Fury. This victory earned him a lucrative $20 million payday and set the stage for a showdown with Joshua after Deontay Wilder was defeated by Joseph Parker in December.
Ngannou started promisingly, landing his long left hook but a switch to southpaw perhaps showed a touch of overconfidence and Joshua detonated a huge right hand to send him crashing to the canvas towards the end of round one. Before the referee could count to ten, Ngannou stood up.
In the second round, Joshua wasted no time in ending the show, hitting Ngannou with his backhand after jabbing to body and head. The former UFC heavyweight champion rose groggily, only to be brutally eliminated by a single, right hand that left him trembling and unable to get up.
The knockout leaves Joshua ready to face the winner between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in May.
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