Teddy Atlas reacts to Francis Ngannou’s KO loss to Anthony Joshua in second pro boxing fight.
[autotag]Teddy Atlas[/autotag] believes [autotag]Anthony Joshua[/autotag] brought the conversation around [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] back to reality.
Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, made plenty of waves with his jump into the boxing world after he was able to go the distance in a very competitive fight against WBC champion Tyson Fury back in October. So much, that even the WBC ended up ranking Ngannou in the top 10 of their rankings with the one fight.
Well, in his second professional boxing match last Friday, Ngannou was knocked out by Joshua in the second round of their contest. It was a bad loss for Ngannou, who was dropped twice before getting viciously stopped. Atlas believes the result exposed the true nature of Ngannou.
“He exposed an amateur, because he did in reality,” Atlas said on his YouTube channel. “I know the great performance against Fury, I explained that, it was great, but that was different. Now he had to react. I even think Ngannou’s confidence hurt him because he thought he could be more aggressive, and he was ready to be more aggressive. He was right in front of him. I thought that hurt him this time because he wasn’t that guy yet.
“He was still an amateur, and we forgot that because of his brilliance performance against Fury. … (Joshua) reminded us he was an amateur, he’s not ready for prime time because he did what a top guy should do. You exposed him. You exposed the things he wasn’t yet.”
So how could an “amateur” fight and almost beat the WBC heavyweight champion? Atlas gives Ngannou credit for his showing against Fury back in October, but he does think a perfect combination of factors led to Ngannou over-performing.
“Styles makes fights,” Atlas said. “Fury’s style was completely different from Joshua’s, that’s No. 1. It does influence fights. No. 2. There was something missing that was there the first time, that helped Ngannou when he fought Fury. That something is the element of surprise. That’s a big something, not a little something. Fury was ready physically, he was, I’m making no excuses. Tremendous job by Ngannou, but Fury wasn’t ready mentally.
“You couldn’t be. It’s almost not human to have really taken him seriously, where every fiber of your body and mind would be ready for what was coming. It was his first pro fight, and you’re the champion of the world.”
Where does Francis Ngannou go after a brutal knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in the boxing ring? Our “Spinning Back Clique” discusses.
Things did not go well for [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] in his second boxing appearance.
Anthony Joshua dispatched the former UFC heavyweight champ quickly and easily in their big showdown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Joshua needed less than two rounds to score three knockdowns, including the final right hand that put Ngannou out cold on the canvas.
After what Ngannou won a scorecard in a split decision against Tyson Fury, the knockout result seemed a bit shocking to some. But where does Ngannou go from here?
Is it time for Ngannou to return to the MMA cage, where he has his debut under the PFL banner and an opponent in Renan Ferreria waiting? Should he take one more boxing bout against another well-known name?
That was a topic of discussion in this week’s “Spinning Back Clique” with Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, guest panelist “Big” John McCarthy, and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.
Watch the video segment above, or watch this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below.
Demetrious Johnson has made a bold claim in regards to Anthony Joshua’s chances vs. Francis Ngannou in MMA.
[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] has made a bold claim in regards to [autotag]Anthony Joshua[/autotag]’s chances vs. [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] in MMA.
Ngannou (0-2) was knocked out cold in Round 2 of his boxing match against Joshua (28-3) Friday in the featured bout of Knockout Chaos at Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia.
Although he initially picked Ngannou to win, Johnson went as far as saying Joshua would get the best of the former UFC heavyweight champion in an MMA fight.
“Does Anthony Joshua beat Francis Ngannou in an MMA fight? I think he does,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “It would just be another striking match. AJ understands his distance. He understands the void. He has better hands than Francis, and he can make Francis even whiff and miss again. Unless Francis is going to change his tactic and go clinch him and wrestle him, (Joshua would win). But AJ is very athletic. He is smaller, he’s more limber. I think he’d be able to stuff the shot and be able to give it to Francis Ngannou.”
Johnson thinks if MMA fighters are going to continue to crossover to boxing, they need an adequate amount of time to prep.
“I’m not saying Francis has not taken it seriously,” Johnson said. “If I was to take a boxing match, I will probably spend eight months to a year preparing myself for the boxing match. Reason why is because the punches come faster. The movement is different. There’s only one weapon, and you only can use one weapon, right? I can’t use my kicks. I can’t use my knees. I can’t use my elbows. I can’t use my wrestling. How am I going to cross the void when I can’t use all the weapons I’ve been using for the last 18 years?
“Another thing that could have been Francis’ downfall was he had that boxing match with Tyson Fury. So Anthony Joshua got an opportunity to see Francis fight boxing. What he took from the boxing match on Francis vs. Tyson? He probably took, ‘OK, Francis doesn’t move his head. He doesn’t really move his head. He’s not very light on his feet,’ where Tyson Fury, he’s kind of light on his feet and Tyson’s trying to avoid the fight. This time, Anthony Joshua got right to work right off the bat, and that’s usually not a good sign if the other opponent doesn’t respond.”
Weekend Review: Anthony Joshua embarrassed Francis Ngannou AND Tyson Fury on Friday in Saudi Arabia.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER AND LOSER
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury
Tyson Fury must’ve have been embarrassed on Friday night.
Anthony Joshua did what his countryman should’ve done when Fury fought Francis Ngannou in October, which was to demonstrate that an MMA fighter without boxing experience has no business in the ring with a top heavyweight.
Fury survived a knockdown to eke out a pathetic split decision victory in Saudi Arabia. Joshua annihilated Ngannou in the same country, dropping the Cameroonian three times and stopping him in the second round to build on his momentum and restore some honor to the sport.
The difference between Fury and Joshua in their respective fights with Ngannou?
Not complicated: Fury wasn’t professional, Joshua was.
Fury wasn’t prepared – mentally or physically, it seemed — when he stepped into the ring to face Ngannou, who had some experience in the gym early in his combat sports career but was making his professional boxing debut.
The WBC titleholder obviously thought he could defeat Ngannou just by showing up, a notion shared by many. That’s not how it’s done, however. Not even against a rookie.
Fury rallied from a third-round knockdown to outpoint Ngannou, a decision that wasn’t controversial if you understand how scoring works. However, the competitive nature of the bout was mortifying for both Fury and boxing.
Joshua clearly prepared for his meeting with Ngannou as he would any big fight. When he stepped through the ropes, he was at his best. And the former two-time champion’s best was far too good for Ngannou.
Many of those who care about boxing probably had the same thought after they celebrated the slaughter: Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) should’ve done exactly the same thing against Ngannou.
The fact he didn’t, the fact he struggled merely to have his hand raised against a newbie is a blot on his resume. It also changed my perception of him. I had predicted that he would beat the crafty, but much smaller Oleksandr Usyk handily when they meet for the undisputed championship on May 18, also in Saudi Arabia
Now I’m not so sure. Now I see it as a 50-50 fight, which shouldn’t be the case given Fury’s ability and massive size advantage.
Of course, the blessing for Fury is that he has a golden opportunity to redeem himself immediately, as a victory over Usyk would do. We’ll see which Fury shows up: the wonderfully athletic, skillful behemoth of the past or the disappointment who fell flat against Ngannou.
Meanwhile, Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is on a tear. He’s now 4-0 since his back-to-back setbacks against Usyk in 2021 and 2022 — including consecutive knockouts of Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and now Ngannou — and bursting with confidence.
I and many others thought Joshua was in the last throes of his elite career after the Usyk losses. Now I have had to rethink that notion, too. The way he has performed of late has me convinced that the 34-year-old once again has the tools to beat anyone in the game.
RABBIT PUNCHES
I don’t mean to be too hard on Ngannou. He deserves credit for his performance against Fury. He, unlike Fury, trained to be at his best and that paid off in the form of a strong performance. However, Joshua proved that a fighter with limited boxing skills and experience can only accomplish so much. I hope Ngannou doesn’t go away, however. I’d like to see how he does against second-tier heavyweights – if he’s willing to fight them — and whether he has another surprise in him. … Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) is another fighter who proved me wrong. I thought the Kiwi was finished after he had two tough fights against Derek Chisora in 2021 and was knocked out by Joe Joyce in September 2022. The 32-year-old former beltholder has won five consecutive fights since the setback, including decisions over Deontay Wilder in December and Zhilei Zhang on the Joshua-Ngannou undercard in his last two fights to reestablish himself as a genuine title contender. He nearly shutout Wilder and deserved better than a majority decision over Zhang, who was coming off back-to-back knockouts of Joyce. The fact Parker had to overcome two knockouts to beat his Chinese counterpart only added to the significance of the victory. Fans love a fighter who overcomes adversity to have his or her hand raised. Make no mistake: Parker is back. …
Can Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) bounce back in his 40s? He established himself as a heavyweight to be reckoned with by stopping Joyce twice. However, his performance on Friday was a significant step backward. He didn’t show much against a good, experienced boxer aside from the two punches that put Parker down. I imagine he won’t walk away now, though. The knockouts against Joyce are still fresh in his mind. And he did lose a competitive decision to Parker. … I get why people were aghast over the announcement that Jake Paul will face 57-year-old Mike Tyson in what evidently will be an exhibition July 20 at AT&T Stadium near Dallas. It has freak show written all over it. At the same time, it makes perfect sense from a business standpoint. Paul and Tyson stand to make untold millions for dancing around the ring for a few rounds because many people worldwide will find value in the event. How many of us, if we had their abilities, wouldn’t do the same thing? Be honest.
Weekend Review: Anthony Joshua embarrassed Francis Ngannou AND Tyson Fury on Friday in Saudi Arabia.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
BIGGEST WINNER AND LOSER
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury
Tyson Fury must’ve have been embarrassed on Friday night.
Anthony Joshua did what his countryman should’ve done when Fury fought Francis Ngannou in October, which was to demonstrate that an MMA fighter without boxing experience has no business in the ring with a top heavyweight.
Fury survived a knockdown to eke out a pathetic split decision victory in Saudi Arabia. Joshua annihilated Ngannou in the same country, dropping the Cameroonian three times and stopping him in the second round to build on his momentum and restore some honor to the sport.
The difference between Fury and Joshua in their respective fights with Ngannou?
Not complicated: Fury wasn’t professional, Joshua was.
Fury wasn’t prepared – mentally or physically, it seemed — when he stepped into the ring to face Ngannou, who had some experience in the gym early in his combat sports career but was making his professional boxing debut.
The WBC titleholder obviously thought he could defeat Ngannou just by showing up, a notion shared by many. That’s not how it’s done, however. Not even against a rookie.
Fury rallied from a third-round knockdown to outpoint Ngannou, a decision that wasn’t controversial if you understand how scoring works. However, the competitive nature of the bout was mortifying for both Fury and boxing.
Joshua clearly prepared for his meeting with Ngannou as he would any big fight. When he stepped through the ropes, he was at his best. And the former two-time champion’s best was far too good for Ngannou.
Many of those who care about boxing probably had the same thought after they celebrated the slaughter: Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) should’ve done exactly the same thing against Ngannou.
The fact he didn’t, the fact he struggled merely to have his hand raised against a newbie is a blot on his resume. It also changed my perception of him. I had predicted that he would beat the crafty, but much smaller Oleksandr Usyk handily when they meet for the undisputed championship on May 18, also in Saudi Arabia
Now I’m not so sure. Now I see it as a 50-50 fight, which shouldn’t be the case given Fury’s ability and massive size advantage.
Of course, the blessing for Fury is that he has a golden opportunity to redeem himself immediately, as a victory over Usyk would do. We’ll see which Fury shows up: the wonderfully athletic, skillful behemoth of the past or the disappointment who fell flat against Ngannou.
Meanwhile, Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is on a tear. He’s now 4-0 since his back-to-back setbacks against Usyk in 2021 and 2022 — including consecutive knockouts of Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and now Ngannou — and bursting with confidence.
I and many others thought Joshua was in the last throes of his elite career after the Usyk losses. Now I have had to rethink that notion, too. The way he has performed of late has me convinced that the 34-year-old once again has the tools to beat anyone in the game.
RABBIT PUNCHES
I don’t mean to be too hard on Ngannou. He deserves credit for his performance against Fury. He, unlike Fury, trained to be at his best and that paid off in the form of a strong performance. However, Joshua proved that a fighter with limited boxing skills and experience can only accomplish so much. I hope Ngannou doesn’t go away, however. I’d like to see how he does against second-tier heavyweights – if he’s willing to fight them — and whether he has another surprise in him. … Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) is another fighter who proved me wrong. I thought the Kiwi was finished after he had two tough fights against Derek Chisora in 2021 and was knocked out by Joe Joyce in September 2022. The 32-year-old former beltholder has won five consecutive fights since the setback, including decisions over Deontay Wilder in December and Zhilei Zhang on the Joshua-Ngannou undercard in his last two fights to reestablish himself as a genuine title contender. He nearly shutout Wilder and deserved better than a majority decision over Zhang, who was coming off back-to-back knockouts of Joyce. The fact Parker had to overcome two knockouts to beat his Chinese counterpart only added to the significance of the victory. Fans love a fighter who overcomes adversity to have his or her hand raised. Make no mistake: Parker is back. …
Can Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) bounce back in his 40s? He established himself as a heavyweight to be reckoned with by stopping Joyce twice. However, his performance on Friday was a significant step backward. He didn’t show much against a good, experienced boxer aside from the two punches that put Parker down. I imagine he won’t walk away now, though. The knockouts against Joyce are still fresh in his mind. And he did lose a competitive decision to Parker. … I get why people were aghast over the announcement that Jake Paul will face 57-year-old Mike Tyson in what evidently will be an exhibition July 20 at AT&T Stadium near Dallas. It has freak show written all over it. At the same time, it makes perfect sense from a business standpoint. Paul and Tyson stand to make untold millions for dancing around the ring for a few rounds because many people worldwide will find value in the event. How many of us, if we had their abilities, wouldn’t do the same thing? Be honest.
Anthony Joshua offered an uplifting message to Francis Ngannou at the post-fight press conference after his brutal knockout win.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – [autotag]Anthony Joshua[/autotag] offered an uplifting message to [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] after brutally knocking him out in their boxing match, and hopes the former UFC champ sticks to competing in the ring.
“Don’t let this discourage you,” Joshua told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight on Friday. “Don’t let success get to your head, and you should never let failures get to your heart. I think he’s an asset to boxing. I think he’s an asset to the fight game. Don’t be discouraged, and I respect you regardless. I said it before, and I still stand on it. I know we had to fight, but I just told him, ‘Keep your head high.'”
Joshua put on a dominant display at Kingdom Arena when he knocked down Ngannou in the opening round of their heavyweight bout. He kept the pressure in the second frame, scoring another knockdown before dropping Ngannou for a third and final time in devastating fashion.
For Joshua, the result was a product of focus and determination.
“He’s a big guy, strong guy, talented guy,” Joshua said. “He got up and looked pretty stable so I thought, ‘Just keep doing what I’m doing, don’t get carried away and what will be will be.’ And we managed to drop him three times – one, two and then the third one (he was) out.”
With the win, Joshua positions himself for a showdown against whoever comes out of the two-fight series between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. The pair meet for the undisputed heavyweight title on May 18, with a rematch clause already in place.
Joshua would like nothing more than to run the gauntlet and become the top dog in the division, but he said keeping grounded is the only way to reach that great height in the sport.
“One step at a time,” Joshua said. “I’m just thinking one step at a time. It’s hard to become a champion, let alone a unified champion, let alone an undisputed champion. It’s far, far-fetched. It’s close, but who knows? We plan, but certain things are already written. If I get there, I get there. And if I don’t, I don’t. But I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself anymore.”
Despite being knocked out by Anthony Joshua, Francis Ngannou leaves the doors open for a return to MMA or boxing.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] appears to be taking his crushing knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in stride.
Ngannou (0-2) entered the massive showdown against Joshua (28-3) in the featured bout of Knockout Chaos at Kingdom Arena with high confidence on the heels of his performance against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Although Ngannou recorded a split decision loss in October, he went the distance and scored a knockdown.
However, things were vastly different against Joshua. Ngannou was knocked down three times, the last of which put him out cold in Round 2.
“He was quite special because he stopped me,” Ngannou said about Joshua at the post-fight news conference. “He did what Tyson Fury couldn’t do. It wasn’t my day. He’s just way better than me today. It sucks, but it is the game. We all know that.”
Despite the disappointing result in his second appearance in the boxing ring, Ngannou showed up to the post-fight conference, seemingly in good spirits. When asked about the punch that put him out, Ngannou joked that he didn’t feel the punch.
"I didn't feel the punch. I think that's what the knockout is about."
A return to MMA is on the table for Ngannou, and one that the PFL expects to occur later in 2024. Renan Ferreria, who won the 2023 heavyweight season and defeated Ryan Bader at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions for the right to face Ngannou, has said he will be waiting.
In the wake of a brutal loss, Ngannou was non-committal about what’s next, but assured boxing will remain in his plans.
“As of right now, I’m going to go home, get some rest, process what just happened,” Ngannou said. “You know, this has been a hell of a day since this morning. I’ll process it and see what is the next step. But maybe MMA, but you can be sure that I’m not done here. Absolutely not. I’m not done.”
[lawrence-related id=2722745,2722673]
Ngannou’s last MMA fight was his final UFC appearance in January 2022. He defeated Ciryl Gane to retain the heavyweight title at UFC 270, which was later vacated after deciding to not re-sign with the promotion due to the restrictive nature of the contract.
“The Predator” gained the freedom to box while signing with PFL for MMA competition. Ngannou is two fights in to his boxing experiment and shot straight for the top, jumping straight in with the Fury’s and Joshua’s of the boxing world. While his paydays have been lucrative, his record currently has a zero in the win column.
“I was just on my way climbing up until I got stopped by A.J.,” Ngannou said. “Congratulations, by the way. That was a clean one.”
Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn believes Francis Ngannou can still succeed in boxing, despite the devastating result against Anthony Joshua.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn believes [autotag]Anthony Joshua[/autotag] is the best heavyweight boxer on the planet right now, and his performance against [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] boosted his confidence.
Joshua (28-3) violently knocked out Ngannou (0-2) in Round 2 at Kingdom Arena, doing what many in the boxing world expected Tyson Fury to do against the former UFC heavyweight champion in October.
In comparison between the two boxers, Hearn wasn’t surprised to see Joshua produce a more definitive result.
“(Fury) struggled against Otto Wallin. A.J. destroyed him, it was a mismatch,” Hearn told MMA Junkie. “He struggled against Francis Ngannou. A.J. destroyed him, it was a mismatch. It’s not necessarily about comparing the two, but it’s nice.”
Hearn also would like to see Ngannou continue his venture into the world of heavyweight boxing. Although the result on the night was a devastating finish, Hearn believes Ngannou can pick up wins inside the boxing ring.
“He can beat a lot of heavyweights, just not Anthony Joshua,” Hearn said. “Maybe he can beat Tyson Fury, but you can’t get knocked out like that too often. And that’s just a stark reminder of the difference between elite-level boxing and MMA.”
Check out these photos of Anthony Joshua’s knockout victory over Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia.
Check out these photos from [autotag]Anthony Joshua[/autotag]’s knockout victory over [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] at Knockout Chaos, which took place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photos by Richard Pelham & Fayez Nureldine, Getty Images)
Anthony Joshua made a statement by making quick work of Francis Ngannou, closing the show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in violent fashion.
Former UFC champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]’s second venture in the boxing ring did not go as well as his first, with [autotag]Anthony Joshua[/autotag] ending the fight early and violently.
The heavyweight boxing bout headlined Joshua vs. Ngannou: Knockout Chaos at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Joshua (28-3) scored three total knockdowns in the fight, the last of which put Ngannou (0-2) out cold at 2:38 of Round 2.
The fight started fairly well for Ngannou, but it would not last long. He immediately landed a nice left hook to begin the fight, and continued to offer the same technique in the opening moments. Joshua scored to the body, and then began studying the distance and movement behind a left jab. Ngannou landed a solid right hand, but things quickly turned from there.
Out of nowhere, Joshua blasted Ngannou with a hard right hand down the pipe, sending the former UFC heavyweight champ down for the count. Ngannou gathered himself and returned to his feet to conclude the round.
The second round began with a calculated approach from both fighters. Joshua landed a flush right hand for the first clean punch of the round, but Ngannou continued to press forward behind a left jab.
Again, seemingly in a blink, Joshua floored Ngannou with a right hand. Once again, Ngannou got to a knee and beat the count, but the end soon followed.
Joshua didn’t waste time following up after scoring his second knockdown, and immediately finished Ngannou for good with a devastating right hand. Ngannou folded over, crumbling to the canvas out cold.
During his post-fight interview, Joshua continued those sentiments for Ngannou. Now, he turns his focus to the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, which takes place May 18.
Ngannou, who entered the contest on the heels of a contentious split decision loss to Tyson Fury in his boxing debut, is likely returning to MMA later this year. “The Predator” is expected to face Renan Ferreira in the PFL at some point later this year.
