Anthony Joshua knocks out Francis Ngannou in the latter's 2nd boxing bout

Two-time former unified world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua of Britain, knocked down former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title holder Francis Ngannou of France in the second round of a fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday.

Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs), 34, scored three knockdowns on 37-year-old Ngannou, one in Round 1 and two in Round 2. The first was a right hand that beat Ngannou unsteady. The second one was an equilibrium shot on his left ear in the second round. The decisive third knockdown was a straight right punch that landed clean on his chin.

Having taken the final hit, Ngannou fell to the canvas in a heap unconsciously. After he regained his senses, ringside officials administered oxygen to him.

"On the route to the championship you should always stay focused," Joshua said after the bout. "This was me stepping aside from that mission. ... But when I saw [Ngannou] and the fight against Tyson Fury, I was like 'damn, this guy can fight' so I said I need a piece of that. He's an inspiration. ... He's a great champion. This doesn't take away anything of his capabilities because in boxing it's one or the other. He can come again."

Friday's bout was only the second boxing fight of Ngannou after switching to the sport from UFC. He lost his first fight to the former unified heavyweight champion Tyson Fury of Britain in October 2023 by points, but his performance was good enough to draw tremendous attention in the boxing circle.

"I told him he shouldn't leave boxing," Joshua said. "He can do well. Remember, he's two fights in, and he fought the best."

"Sorry guys I let you all down. Today was a bad day in the office but tomorrow will be another day. Thank you all for the love," Ngannou posted on Twitter.