Francis Ngannou may have suffered the biggest loss professional boxing has ever seen. He then faced Anthony Joshua.
The former UFC heavyweight champion was knocked out cold in just two rounds by the former unified heavyweight champion, who proved to be a much bigger problem for Ngannou than WBC champion Tyson Fury in October.
Ngannou entered that Fury bout as a heavy underdog to the champion — one promoter called the bout “a disgrace” — but he distinguished himself from many MMA fighters-turned-boxers with a performance that wouldn't have looked out of place from a seasoned heavyweight contender. He managed to drop Fury in the third round and had the crowd chant his name in the final round.
He was not lucky on Friday in Riyadh. He lost once in the first round and twice in the second, which would likely end the Cameroonian boxer's short-lived career.
In a co-main event, Zhilei Zhang scored two knockouts against Joseph Parker, but it was not enough as Parker walked away by majority decision to claim the interim WBC heavyweight title. Zhang took his foot off the pedal after the two knockdowns, which came in Rounds 3 and 6, and Parker stayed busy long enough to win on points.
“I feel like we're on our way now, Chang's a tough guy,” Parker said in his post-fight interview. “He knocked me out twice. I'm very happy, I'm going home and celebrating. Hard work, hard work, hard work. It's an unbelievable feeling, look where we are. The next step is that I'll fight Zhang.” Again, this is what we contracted for.”
Here's how the entire card will appear in Saudi Arabia:
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Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua main card results, highlights
Heavyweight: Anthony Joshua defended. Francis Ngannou by KO in R2:
Heavyweight: Joseph Parker def. Chili Chang by majority decision (113-113, 114-112, 115-111)
Featherweight Championship: Rey Vargas vs. Nick Paul ends in a draw (114-112, 110-116, 113-113)
Super Welterweight Championship: def. Israel Madrimov. Magomed Kurbanov by TKO at R5
Lightweight: Mark Chamberlain def. Gavin Gwynne by TKO at R4:
Heavyweight: Justis Honey defeated. Kevin Lerena by unanimous decision (96-94, 96-94, 98-92)
Highlights of the preliminary card results for Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua
Super welterweight: Lewis Green def. Jack McGann by TKO at 1:29 of R1:
Heavyweight: Andrei Nowitzki def. Juan Torres by TKO at 2:43 of R1
Super lightweight: Ziad Al-Mayouf defeated. Christian Lopez Flores by decision (60-54)
Heavyweight: defeating Roman Fury. Martin Svarek by decision (39-37)
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