Anthony Joshua has scored another victory, and this time, it was against former MMA heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, who was quickly knocked out before their March 8 fight gained any momentum. Joshua sent a straight hook flying that brought Ngannou down to the canvas, drawing the match to a close in the second round. 

If anyone was impressed by Ngannou’s performance when he faced Tyson Fury, even though he lost, and predicted he would make light work of Joshua, then they must have been greatly disappointed seeing The Predator crash to the floor very early in the match. Before his eventual knockout, Joshua had knocked him down seconds earlier, but he managed to get up before the count was over, only to fall down a second time, this time, not making the count. 

This was, by far, Joshua’s most impressive victory in recent times, and it was delivered against a man whom a few thought would dominate the boxing heavyweight division. With the defeat, Ngannou is unlikely to face any top-ranked boxers soon, and his spell in boxing may have ended. But Joshua, after the match, said Ngannou should not be judged by his loss, as he was a risk taker for even daring to go against Fury in the first instance, even alluding that Ngannou beat Fury when they faced. 

Here’s what Joshua said about Ngannou: “When I saw the fight with Fury, I thought damn, this guy could fight, I wanted a piece of that. He’s an inspiration, a great champion, and this shouldn’t take away from his capabilities. He can come again. I told him he shouldn’t leave boxing. He’s two fights in, and he’s fought the best.

“He can go a long way if he stays dedicated.”

“Francis Ngannou beat the WBC heavyweight champion of the world – I should be WBC heavyweight champion of the world. He’s a dreamer and a risk-taker, and that story of his should not be clouded by tonight.

Taking to his X (Twitter) after the fight, Ngannou, who had so much to say in weeks leading up to the match, apologized to his fans, describing the loss as “a bad day in the office” but promising to be back another day. 

Now, Joshua gets to bask in victory for a while as he gears up to face the winner of TYson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk when they meet in May, giving him a shot at becoming the heavyweight champion for the third time.

Leon Osamor