Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou

Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou, billed as Knockout Chaos, was a heavyweight professional boxing match contested between former WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

Knockout Chaos

Date	8 March 2024
Venue	Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Tale of the tape
Boxer Anthony Joshua Francis Ngannou Nickname "AJ" "The Predator" Hometown Watford, Hertfordshire, UK Batié, Hauts-Plateaux, Cameroon Pre-fight record 27–3 (24 KO) 0–1 (Boxing) 17–3 (12 KO) (MMA) Age 34 years, 4 months 37 years, 6 months Height 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) Weight 252+1⁄2 lb (115 kg) 272+1⁄2 lb (124 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition WBC/WBO No. 1 Ranked Heavyweight WBA/IBF No. 2 Ranked Heavyweight Former 2 time unified heavyweight champion WBC No. 10 Ranked Heavyweight Former UFC Heavyweight Champion
Result
Joshua wins via 2nd-round KO

Background

 

 

Anthony Joshua (left) and Francis Ngannou (right)

Following his impressive stoppage of Otto Wallin in December 2023, Anthony Joshua was linked with IBF number one ranked Filip Hrgović or WBO "interim" titleholder Zhilei Zhang.^[1] However in January 2024 it was confirmed that he would face former UFC champion Francis Ngannou, who in his only previous boxing bout scored a knockdown against WBC and Lineal champion Tyson Fury before losing a somewhat controversial split decision.^[2][3]

The fights

Undercard

Before the main event, Israil Madrimov stopped Magomed Kurbanov to win the vacant WBA Super Welterweight belt. This was followed by Nick Ball challenging WBC featherweight champion Rey Vargas. After twice flooring the champion (once appearing to push him before handing a left hook) the bout was ruled a draw with scores of 116–110 for Ball, 114–112 for Vargas and 113–113.^[4]

Zhang vs. Parker

In the chief support WBO "Interim" titleholder Zhilei Zhang faced former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker (WBO: 2nd WBC / WBA: 3rd). Parker was dropped twice in the bout, once in 3rd with a left hand and once in the 8th with a left-right hook combination.

However Zhang's lack of output compared to Parker cost him, as two of the judges scored it for Parker 114–112 & 115–111, with the third having it 113–113.

Preceded by vs. Joe Joyce II	Zhilei Zhang's bouts 8 March 2024	Succeeded by TBA
Preceded by vs. Deontay Wilder	Joseph Parker's bouts 8 March 2024	Succeeded by TBA

Main Event

Joshua dominated the bout, knocking down Ngannou, who switched to southpaw, with a straight right hand (a punch often dubbed as the 'southpaw killer') down the pipe in the 1st round. Ngannou beat the count and reverted to orthodox but was floored again in the 2nd. He again rose to his feet, but Joshua finished the fight with another right hand that left Ngannou flat on the canvas for several minutes afterwards.^[5][6]

Aftermath

Speaking in the ring after the bout promoter Eddie Hearn said "You’re looking at the number one heavyweight in the world, unquestionably. On this form, there is no man in the world that can beat him in the heavyweight division." before stating his desire for Joshua to face the winner of the planned May 18 bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.^[7]

Ngannou later confirmed that he will continue boxing despite the loss.

Fight Card

Confirmed bouts:^[8]

References

1. Coral Barry; Kal Sajad (24 December 2023). "Anthony Joshua v Deontay Wilder fight slips away again but Briton emerges as biggest winner". bbc.co.uk/. BBC. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
2. "Anthony Joshua: Briton to face ex-UFC fighter Ngannou in Saudi Arabia, confirms promoter Hearn". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
3. "Anthony Joshua v Francis Ngannou: Heavyweight fight set for 8 March in Saudi Arabia". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
4. Kal Sajad (9 March 2024). "Rey Vargas v Nick Ball: Briton's WBC featherweight challenge ends in split-decision draw". bbc.co.uk. Kingdom Arena, Riyadh: BBC. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
5. Bobbie Jackson (8 March 2024). "'Don't leave boxing' - Relive Joshua's win over Ngannou". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
6. Kal Sajad (9 March 2024). "Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou: Briton delivers statement win with second-round knockout". bbc.co.uk. Kingdom Arena, Riyadh: BBC. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
7. Kal Sajad (9 March 2024). "Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou: Briton rediscovers swagger as rival Tyson Fury watches on". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
8. "BoxRec - event".

Preceded by vs. Otto Wallin	Anthony Joshua's bouts 8 March 2024	Succeeded by TBA
Preceded by vs. Tyson Fury	Francis Ngannou's bouts 8 March 2024	Succeeded by TBA