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Anthony "AJ" Joshua (28-3) put Francis "The Predator" Ngannou (0-2) to sleep for several minutes with a second round knockout on Friday at Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia. The former UFC heavyweight champion needed oxygen to regain consciousness after the brutal blow.
Joshua, 34, dropped Ngannou in the opening round after the latter switched his stance to southpaw and did so again the following frame. The crowd was stunned and completely quiet as medics rushed into the ring once the referee waved the count.
Ngannou, 37, eventually got up, but was visibly shaken, evidently unaware of what had happened. To his credit, he survived the count once in the first round and again in the second, but AJ needed a single blow to drop him for a third and final time.
Tyson Fury, who went the distance with Ngannou in the mixed martial artist's boxing debut a few months ago, was in attendance ringside. He currently is recovering from injury to fight Oleksandr Usyk on May 18.
Fury, 35, defeated Ngannou via unanimous decision, but many fans believe he should have lost, which spurred boxing promoter Eddie Hearn to say Joshua is better than him.
The "Gypsy King" was asked if he had anything to say in return. Fury pointed out that Joshua will first have to beat him first before claiming the title of the baddest man alive.
Joshua is a two-time heavyweight champion and wants to reach the pinnacle of the sport once again while currently feeling at his best.
