In the early hours of Saturday, two-time world champion Anthony Joshua knocked out MMA Francis Ngannou in just the second round of their heavyweight clash.
In a perfect and brief show of his punching powers, the British-Nigerian Boxer had his Cameroonian opponent on the canvas in the first round and twice more in the second.
Ngannou, 37, a former UFC heavyweight champion, was contesting in only his second professional boxing match, having lost by a split decision to Heavyweight Boxer Tyson Fury in an October fight that saw him put the WBC champion on the canvas in the third round.
“I thought this fight was something for the broadcasters to get behind,” Joshua told broadcaster DAZN after his victory.
“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 (Ngannou) not to leave boxing. He’s two fights in and he fought the best.”
Joshua, a one-time unified WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion, went into the fight on the back of three successive wins after recovering from back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk, however, is gearing up to fight Fury for the undisputed heavyweight title in Saudi Arabia in May.
Joshua, 34, was reportedly paid $50 million for his clash with Ngannou, whose rags-to-riches story had dominated the sport in recent months.
