“It’s what it’s,” Joshua mentioned on the DAZN broadcast after the match. “After I noticed the struggle between Francis and Tyson Fury, I spotted he might struggle. And I wished a chunk of that. He’s an inspiration. He’s an awesome champion and this consequence doesn’t take something away from his capabilities.”
Ngannou’s October bout in opposition to Fury, the World Boxing Council heavyweight champion, went decidedly completely different. The 37-year-old MMA star entered that match as a considerable underdog however dropped a surprised Fury with a left hook within the third spherical. After 10 frames, Fury escaped with a controversial cut up resolution victory on the scorecards.
Ngannou had mentioned boxing was his past love earlier than he found MMA. However that displaying in his skilled boxing debut sparked pleasure.
Forward of Friday’s struggle, Joshua mentioned he wouldn’t underestimate Ngannou as some believed Fury had. His coach, Ben Davison, mentioned Ngannou carried a “false sense of confidence” into the match.
Come Friday, the 34-year-old Joshua dominated the proceedings.
He landed a robust proper jab to drop Ngannou late within the first spherical. Joshua related with the suitable hand to drop him once more within the second spherical. Seconds after Ngannou returned to his ft, Joshua delivered a crushing proper overhand that flattened his opponent on the canvas. Ngannou was given oxygen by the ringside docs and regained consciousness.
“I informed him he shouldn’t go away boxing,” Joshua mentioned of Ngannou. “He can do properly. He’s fought two of the perfect.”
For Ngannou, a decisive defeat doubtlessly bruises his probabilities of a rematch in opposition to Fury, who’s scheduled to face Oleksandr Usyk on Might 18 for the undisputed heavyweight title. After leaving the UFC for the rival Skilled Fighters League final yr, Ngannou is scheduled to return to the cage to face Renan Ferreira in what can be his PFL debut and his first MMA bout since January 2022.
Usyk defeated Joshua in 2021 to seize his title belts, then repeated the feat in 2022 to retain them. Promoter Eddie Hearn has mentioned the winner of Friday’s match will face the winner of the Might 18 struggle, opening the door for a possible blockbuster struggle between Joshua and Fury, which Hearn has did not safe prior to now.
“My group will form my future,” Joshua mentioned. “I’m simply right here to struggle. I’ll return to my cage and lock myself away and I’ll come again when it’s time to struggle.”
