Anthony Joshua defeated Francis Ngannou after delivering the most devastating knockout of his career in Saudi Arabia.
The two-time heavyweight champion knocked down the Cameroonian with a stunning right hand in the first round.
Another powerful shot put his opponent on the mat once again in the second.
Ngannou somehow managed to stand up again but Joshua ended the match moments later with an explosive finish – possibly the biggest and most vicious of his career so far – that puts him on the brink of a third world title opportunity.
Ngannou was momentarily motionless on the canvas after receiving three powerful shots. He eventually stood up, needing oxygen in his corner before shaking Joshua’s hand in the center of the ring.
Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, exceeded all expectations on his professional boxing debut last October against Tyson Fury, knocking down ‘The Gypsy King’ in the third round only to lose the fight on a controversial split decision.
However, Joshua displayed his dominance from the beginning and secured another significant victory in his fourth fight in less than a year.
The winner of tonight’s fight has been guaranteed a match against the winner of Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, who will face off in their historic undisputed heavyweight title fight on 18 May for all four world title belts.
Joshua’s win sets up the exciting prospect of a long-awaited ‘Battle of Britian’ against Fury, or the opportunity for redemption against Usyk.
‘On the road to the championship, you should always stay focused,’ Joshua told explosive after his explosive finish.
‘I thought this was something for the broadcasters to get behind. When I saw the fight with Tyson Fury I thought I want some of that. He is a great champion and this doesn’t take anything away from his capabilities. I told him not to leave boxing. He’s two fights in and he fought the best.
‘Eddie Hearn and my team will shape my future. I’m going back to my cage and when they let me out, I’ll fight again.’
In the co-main event of the night, Joseph Parker continued his extraordinary run with a majority decision win over Zhilei Zhang to become ‘interim’ WBO heavyweight champion.
The New Zealander, who upset the predicted outcome in December with a surprise victory over Deontay Wilder, was knocked down twice by Zhang but secured the win on the scorecards after outworking his opponent across the 12 rounds, landing accurate and aggressive shots at will.
The former WBO champion suffered a damaging defeat to Joe Joyce in 2022 but has now achieved five victories to climb back to the top of the division.
