In what was thought to be a highly competitive heavyweight fight, former champion Anthony Joshua stopped MMA behemoth Francis Ngannou. The former UFC kingpin was impressive in his boxing debut against current champion Tyson Fury - standing toe-to-toe for 10 rounds and even dropping him in that contest. In his 2nd fight, he was stopped in the 2nd round!
The fight started tentatively with both fighters feeling each other out but it was evident that AJ's boxing acumen was higher. He moved and feinted, cautious in his approach. This appeared to baffle Francis as he could not find his rhythm. When the Brit found the range, he delivered the first of what would be a total of three KO blows! The last one was a loaded power shot that effectively decked the Cameroonian for good.
It was a bittersweet ending for a Cinderella story from Ngannou. He started boxing good but his last fight was a disaster. He probably is the only boxer in history to fight two champions in first two fights! But for sure, he can't fight another top caliber heavyweight - his weaknesses has been exposed.
Before the fight, the commentators - including Tyson Fury, predicted a short fight. They saw something. In the locker room, AJ was focused, punching the mitts with a 1-2 combination that included a "follow through" on a loaded right.
In the co-main event, Zhilei "Big Bang" Zhang drops Joseph Parker twice but loses a majority decision. The 40-year old appeared to have an easy fight when his unnatural power was evident when he dropped the Kiwi early in the 2nd with a crisp left straight. But it was activity and combination punching that won Parker the fight. Zhang had the bang but no gas to go full throttle the entire match.
Knockout Chaos was a big success!
rb28
