KNOCKOUT CHAOS | Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou Fight Highlights: Props to AJ for not celebrating like he won a world title after beating Francis.. 

March 8, 2024 — Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou fight highlights from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Francis Ngannou got checked earlier today (Fri., March 8, 2024) LIVE on DAZN pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the former UFC heavyweight champion was knocked out cold in his boxing superfight against U.K. superstar Anthony Joshua.

Ngannou looked more comfortable in the early going of this fight than he did against Tyson Fury late last year. He found a home for a few good left hooks that checked Joshua. AJ leaned more on his jab and some solid work to the body. That was until Joshua uncorked a massive right hand that planted Ngannou on his butt. The former UFC heavyweight champion took nearly eight seconds to return to his feet.

Ngannou kept advancing in the second round, but Joshua was there again to land a powerful right hand that stuck “Predator.” Later in the round Joshua landed another huge right hand. Ngannou crashed to the canvas, but the former UFC king returned to his feet once more and kept fighting. The second the fight resumed Joshua clobbered Ngannou with one more right hand that melted “Predator” and left him looking up at the ceiling for a good minute. It was downright sensational.

Francis Ngannou had perhaps the best loss in a professional debut boxing has ever seen. Then he 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 much more of a problem for Ngannou than WBC champion Tyson Fury had in October.

Ngannou entered that Fury match as a heavy underdog against the champion — one promoter called the matchup “a disgrace” — but he differentiated himself from the many MMA fighters-turned-boxers with a performance that wouldn’t have looked out of place from a seasoned heavyweight contender. He managed to knock down Fury in the third round and had the crowd chanting his name in the final round.

He had no such luck Friday in Riyadh. He was knocked down once in the first round and twice in the second, likely ending the Cameroonian’s short-lived boxing career.

In a slog of a co-main event, Zhilei Zhang scored two knockdowns against Joseph Parker, but it wasn’t enough as Parker walked away with a majority decision to claim the WBC interim heavyweight title. Zhang took his foot off the pedal after both knockdowns, which came in rounds 3 and 6, and Parker stayed busy enough for the points win.

“I feel like we’re on the up now, Zhang is a tough man,” Parker said in his post-fight interview. “He knocked me down twice. I’m very happy, I’m going to go home and celebrate. Hard work, hard work, hard work. It’s an incredible feeling, look where we are. What’s next is I’m fighting Zhang again, that’s what we’re contracted to.”

Check out the full fight highlights above and more footage below: