Boxing: Anthony Joshua’s formidable knockout against Francis Ngannou allows him to dream of a title fight

Anthony Joshua cleared all doubts and achieved an impactful victory against the Cameroonian Francesco Ngannou at the Kingdom Arena in the city of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. In the cross-country fight, on an evening that saw the participation of many of today’s best heavyweights, The Englishman eliminated his opponent at the beginning of the second round and now he was in a prime position to be the challenger in the duel between Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk and Britain’s Tyson Fury.

In front of more than 30,000 spectators, in the luxurious stadium that was the scene of the evening framed in the Riyadh Season (a set of cultural, sporting and gastronomic events aimed at washing the international image of the monarchy), Joshua managed to make the tapestry travel towards his rival with a brutal right hand in the first round.

The Cameroonian barely managed to finish the first episode and recovered in his corner. But it was a mirage: in the first exchange of the second round, Joshua knocked out Ngannou with a right cross that hit his rival’s jaw and ended the fight.

For the former monarch of the World Boxing Association, the International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Organization, this victory allows him to maintain a privileged position in the long list of candidates for a giant’s chance, even if everyone foresees a long wait: On May 18, if there are no new reasons for the postponement, Tyson Fury and the Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk will meet, again in Riyadh, to anoint the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the era of the four governing bodies of world boxing. That fight features a rematch, whatever the outcome, so the rest of the heavyweight elite reckon they won’t be able to face the winner until 2025.

There were many who assumed that Joshua’s career was over after his second defeat against Usyk in August 2022 in Jeddah. However, the boxer born 34 years ago in Watford, who has a professional record of 28 victories (25 before the limit) and 3 setbacks, has since chained four victories (with tonight’s). The last one was on December 23rd, when he knocked out the Swede Otto Wallin in Riyadh.