ANTHONY JOSHUA delivered a brutal right hand on Francis Ngannou to knock the Cameroonian out in Saudi last night.
AJ is now firmly back in the world title picture after a brutal victory over the MMA legend.
On the undercard, Joseph Parker picked up a huge win over Zhilei Zhang, Roman Fury kicked the show off with victory, and Nick Ball controversially DREW with Rey Vargas.
AJ a ‘class act’
Boxing fans were quick to praise Anthony Joshua for delaying his celebrations until after he saw Francis Ngannou get back to his feet after being brutally put down in the second round of the Saudi showdown.
One wrote on x: “Top class this much respect.”
A second posted: “Class act. Well done AJ, go get ur belts back!!”
A third commented: “Class from AJ and complete respect to Francis Ngannou.”
And another added: “Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou are both class acts.”
‘Best heavyweight’
Eddie Hearn insists Anthony Joshua’s demolition of Francis Ngannou proves he’s the best heavyweight on the planet.
The Matchroom Boxing chief said: “I’m so proud of him because there was a huge amount of pressure.
“If we won this fight then he would fight the winner of Fury vs Usyk.
“You’re looking at the number one heavyweight in the world.
“Tyson Fury please beat Usyk because you will get the biggest fight in the history of the sport.
“As a fighter, he’s an inspiration to young people.
“What I said would happen, happened. He destroyed Francis Ngannou.
“He’s a beast and I cannot wait for him to beat Tyson Fury.”
Credit: REUTERS AJ reveals private Ngannou conversation
Anthony Joshua has revealed what he told Francis Ngannou moments after knocking him out cold.
He said in the post-fight press conference: “I said, ‘Don’t let this discourage you.’
“‘Don’t let this success get to your head. And you should never failures get to your heart.’
“I told him he could be an asset to boxing – he’s an asset to the fight game. Don’t get discouraged and I respect you regardless.”
Credit: GETTT
Joshua gives Ngannou boxing verdict
Anthony Joshua has urged Francis Ngannou NOT to leave boxing, despite his brutal defeat last night.
Victorious AJ, 34, said: “When I saw the fight with Tyson Fury I thought ‘I want some of that’. [Ngannou] is a great champion and this doesn’t take anything away from his capabilities.
“I told him not to leave boxing. He’s two fights in and he’s fought the best.”
Fans spot Tyson Fury’s reaction
Viewers spotted Tyson Fury’s “terrified” reaction immediately after Anthony Joshua’s explosive knockout of Francis Ngannou.
The Gypsy King, 35, was in the front row for the heavyweight clash in Saudi Arabia.
AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn leapt out of his seat in excitement when his man delivered the crushing right hand to his Cameroonian opponent.
Frank Warren in the seat next to look perplexed while Paris Fury appeared visibly horrified before she started clapping.
But her husband Tyson sat completely still for a few moments, taking in the heavy shot.
And fans were convinced the WBC heavyweight champ is worried about the prospect of a possible showdown with Joshua after witnessing his raw power.
Paris Fury reacts to KO
Paris Fury looked stunned as Francis Ngannou was brutally knocked out by Anthony Joshua.
The Cameroonian, 37, had already been sent to the canvas twice before being viciously KO’d in the second round.
Heavyweight rival Tyson Fury was watching the action from ringside, sat alongside wife Paris.
After initially clapping, Paris, 34, raised her hand to the her mouth in shock at the brutal nature of the knockout.
Sat next to her, the Gypsy King smiled as he applauded the finish.
Having processed her initial shock, Paris then resumed her applause.
Credit: DAZN Cristiano Ronaldo no show
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo was not in attendance last night despite having a front-row seat reserved for him.
The 39-year-old now plies his trade in Saudi Arabia and was expected to be in attendance as Anthony Joshua KO’d Francis Ngannou.
A seat was emblazoned with “CR7” especially for Ronaldo.
But he did not show up to the event.
Joshua praised for classy gesture
Anthony Joshua was called a “class act” after refusing to celebrate until he saw that Francis Ngannou was okay.
The Brit, 34, viciously knocked Ngannou out cold during the second round of their Saudi bout last night.
Rather than go wild in the ring, Joshua kept it respectful until Ngannou was back on his feet.
When the Cameroonian was eventually able to get up, AJ made a point of going over to shake his hand.
He then told the MMA star: “Don’t leave boxing.
“If you need anything let me know. We’ll speak another time.”
Francis Ngannou breaks silence
Beaten star has taken to social media to apologise to fans.
The Cameroonian, 37, was beaten by Anthony Joshua via vicious second round knockout.
Ngannou later wrote on social media: “Sorry guys I let you all down.
“Today was a bad day in the office but tomorrow will be another day.
“Thank you all for the love.”
Credit: Reuters
Joshua reacts on social media
Anthony Joshua has posted a selfie with Francis Ngannou on social media.
He captioned the snap: “Respect my guy. African Giants.”
AJ: ‘It is what it is’
Anthony Joshua said after his triumph: “It is what it is. On the route to the championship you should always stay focused and I had to step away from the mission.
“I am still learning and pushing, I don’t know if I am coming into my peak, if that was me down there you would be saying ‘Anthony Joshua should retire’.
“In five years I will be finished fighting and sitting down and all this will be a distant memory.
“I am going to go back and lock myself in my cage and they can let me out when they want me to fight. I just want to fight.”
Credit: Getty Jake Paul speaks on fight
Jake Paul – who has a big fight himself coming up against Mike Tyson – has heaped praise on Anthony Joshua.
Paul wrote on X: “Francis Ngannou is one of the greatest fighters of all time. Respect due. Anthony Joshua is back. Activity & focus drives dominance.”
Francis Ngannou takes to X
The beaten man Francis Ngannou has taken to X after his big loss, and has apologised to his fans.
Ngannou wrote: “Sorry guys I let you all down. Today was a bad day in the office but tomorrow will be another day. Thank you all for the love.”
More from Joseph Parker
Parker beamed after his big win: “It’s a great win. I feel I am on the up right now.
“Zhang is a tough man but my team just kept telling me to follow the plan.
“Now I want to go home and celebrate and then we will come back and do the rematch.”
Credit: Getty Joseph Parker stuns Zhilei Zhang
If it wasn’t for Anthony Joshua’s stunning main even finish, the performance of the night would have been to Joseph Parker.
Parker bounced up off the deck TWICE to outpoint Zhilei Zhang and cement his place in the heavyweight world title race.
The 32-year-old – whose wife is pregnant with their fifth child and first son – was decked in the third and eighth but resurrected to be daddy cool in the desert.
Two months after he put on a masterclass to stun Deontay Wilder, he did the same to the 21st China star – apart from two blips.
Stunning finish
Anthony Joshua had already knocked Francis Ngannou down twice…before a ferocious right stopped it.
Ngannou was briefly seen by medics after the punch before getting back to his feet.
Credit: Getty Jose Mourinho exclusive
Jose Mourinho arrived for Anthony Joshua’s fight with Francis Ngannou to heavy fanfare – and flashed his personalised phone case.
The former Chelsea and Manchester United manager – without a club after being sacked by Roma – took a ringside seat in Riyadh.
And he did so to huge elevation from the crowd, drawing a smile from The Special One.
Mourinho was captured by SunSport taking in the action and filming from his front row spot.
And he revealed his personalised JM phone case while recording the fights.
Nick Ball controversy
Fans have claimed Nick Ball was robbed after his fight with Rey Vargas ended in a draw.
The pair fought on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou in the Kingdom Arena, Riyadh last night.
Brit Ball took a while to get to grips with the featherweight champion as Vargas edged the early exchanges.
But the Liverpudlian started to find his target and rocked the Mexican on more than one occasion.
He dropped Vargas twice and viewers had Ball winning each of the last six rounds.
So many were, including a fuming Frank Warren, were shocked when the judges scored the contest a draw, and the announcement was greeted with boos inside the venue.
Tyson Fury’s reaction
Anthony Joshua knocked down Francis Ngannou in the first round – and Tyson Fury was loving it.
The Gypsy King had a front-row seat for the heavyweight clash in the Kingdom Arena, Saudi Arabia.
Fury laboured to a points win over the MMA champion in October but Joshua made lightwork of his opponent.
Joshua knocked down Ngannou two minutes into the contest and Fury reacted with enthusiasm as he vigorously nodded his head and passionately applauded his compatriot.
That was just the beginning of the excitement as Ngannou staggered back to his feet before seeing out the round.
Credit: GETTY Joshua poses with Ngannou after
Anthony Joshua has taken to Instagam to post a picture of himself alongside beaten opponent Francis Ngannou.
AJ wrote: “Respect my guy. African Giants.”
Respect from the winner there.
Ryan Garcia speaks on KO
Boxer Ryan Garcia – who has a big fight himself coming up – has said AJ’s stunning KO win should be a big warning to MMA fighters stepping in the boxing ring.
Garcia wrote: “Let this be A BIG WARNING to MMA fighters!! Stop coming to boxing it will only get worst.
“ITS more even if we just go to your sport! OVER! ONE PUNCH. Sending healing prayers to FRANCIS!”
Francis Ngannou breaks silence
The beaten man Francis Ngannou has taken to X after his big loss.
Ngannou wrote: “Sorry guys I let you all down. Today was a bad day in the office but tomorrow will be another day. Thank you all for the love.”
AJ: ‘It is what it is’
After he was finally back on his feet, Joshua told the cameras: “It is what it is.
“On the route to the championship you should always stay focused and I had to step away from the mission. I thought it was just a gimmick for the broadcasters.
“When I saw the fight with Tyson Fury I thought damn this guy can fight, I want a piece of that.
“I wanted to welcome him and this does not take anything away from him, he can come again.
“I am still learning and pushing, I don’t know if I am coming into my peak, if that was me down there you would be saying ‘Anthony Joshua should retire’.
“In five years I will be finished fighting and sitting down and all this will be a distant memory.
“I am going to go back and lock myself in my cage and they can let me out when they want me to fight. I just want to fight.”
AJ stops Ngannou – ringside report
Anthony Joshua obliterated Francis Ngannou in two sensational rounds to cement his place back in the heavyweight world title race.
The same man who took Tyson Fury the 10-round distance on his boxing debut in October – and dropped the WBC Gypsy King- never laid a glove on our 34-year-old superstar.
AJ was punch-perfect, calm and measured while also being ruthless and savage, putting the former UFC star on the ground twice before delivering the knockout punch.
Ngannou leaped up off the Riyadh canvas twice initially but he needed an age to recover from the final blow that almost took his swede-like head clean off.
He was subsequently given oxygen after being helped to his corner.
Credit: Getty That winning moment
Brutal.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
