Anthony Joshua obliterated Francis Ngannou by a second-round knockout on Friday night in front of a crowd of surprised onlookers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) credits his victory as part of his evolution as a fighter during his professional career.
AJ states that in the past, he would have gone to war with a fighter like Ngannou (0-2), and the punishment he would have sustained might have taken years off his career.
Instead, he’s taken an analytical approach to analyzing his and his opponent’s flaws, making improvements to win without getting beaten up. Tonight, we witnessed Joshua barely being hit by Ngannou, knocking down the former MMA champion three times.
Joshua says he realizes now how his life changes when he loses, and he wants to learn from his losses rather than let them defeat him mentally.
A Smarter, Not Just Stronger Joshua
“With Ngannou tonight, if I was the old AJ, it would have been strength vs. strength,” said Anthony Joshua to Sky Sports Boxing, talking about his second-round knockout victory over Francis Ngannou on Friday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“It would have been a fight that took years out of my career, but due to the progression I made and the dedication and the sacrifices I’ve made, I was able to go in there and get rid of him without hardly taking any punishment,” said Joshua.
The old Joshua, who lost to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019, would have tried to trade with Ngannou in the fight, and he could have gotten caught by one of the speedy, powerful shots that he was throwing. Ngannou hit Joshua with some hard punches in the first round, but he didn’t retaliate as he used to when tagged.
“People look at me like, ‘He’s overanalyzing,’ but in a sport like this in the heavyweight division, you have to be analytical. You have to be a student of the game. So, you can go on and put in performances like that,” said Joshua.
Ready for Fury or Usyk
“Fury, if they want me, they can come knocking on my door. I’m just going to keep doing my best every time. ‘Let’s go,’” said Joshua when asked what he’d say if the Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk winner came knocking on his door, looking to fight him.
