Anthony Joshua eased to a second-round knockout win against Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia in just the UFC champion’s second professional match.
Joshua floored his opponent in the first round with a right hand to the chin then again early in the second with a right-left hook combination.
Ngannou got to his feet but was quickly put back down by a strong right hand, after which the referee put a stop to the contest.
The 37-year-old, who performed well in losing narrowly on points to WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in what had been his only previous fight, started brightly again in Riyadh, holding his own well for much of the first round.
He was put on the canvas by Joshua with about a minute to go in the round, beating the count at nine and making it back to his feet to see out the final 40 seconds.
However, when he was knocked down again in the second round there appeared to be little chance of Ngannou continuing, and after struggling back up he was quickly knocked out by a big right hand to put an end to the contest in Joshua’s favour.
Ngannou required oxygen in the ring as he was attended to by medics in the immediate aftermath, before recovering to leave the ring unaided.
For Joshua it is now four wins in a row as he put himself in prime position to meet the winner of the May 18 fight between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
'I believe I won' - Fury loses historic undisputed championship to Usyk
Tyson Fury voiced his frustration after suffering the first defeat of his career to Oleksandr Usyk in their undisputed world heavyweight title fight in Saudi Arabia.
Usyk won by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis, and the first to unite all four belts.
The scorecards read 115-112 and 114-113 in favour of Usyk, while a third judge scored 114-113 to Fury.
After an even start, the momentum shifted in a brilliant ninth round for the Ukrainian as he caught Fury with a left hook, forcing the referee to give him a standing count before the bell saved him from a further onslaught.
A defiant Fury was not happy with the result, suggesting that Usyk received a sympathy vote from the judges.
"I believe I won that fight," he said in the ring. "I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority.
"His country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war. Make no mistake, I won that fight, in my opinion.
"It was one of the daftest decisions in boxing. We run it back in October. I'm not going to sit here and cry and make excuses."
Usyk remained undefeated as he took Fury’s WBC belt to add to his WBA, WBO and IBF collection.
"Thank you so much for my team. It's a big opportunity for my family, for my country," an emotional Usyk said afterwards. "I'm very happy.
"My people will be very happy. I think it's a big win, not only for me, it's a big win for my country, for soldiers who now defend my country.
"I think my father now is watching over me and is very happy. Dad, I love you. I can, you told me I can."
John Fury appears to headbutt member of Team Usyk ahead of undisputed bout
Tyson Fury's father John Fury was left with a nasty cut on his face after appearing to headbutt a member of Oleksandr Usyk's entourage at a pre-fight media day on Monday.
WBC belt-holder Fury will face Usyk for the undisputed world heavyweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, with both men defending undefeated professional records.
With both fighters and their camps present at a hotel in the city for media duties on Monday, the build-up to their bout – the most eagerly anticipated in the heavyweight division in recent years – got off to a chaotic start.
Fury's father was pictured with blood running down his forehead after becoming involved in an altercation with a man wearing a Team Usyk tracksuit.
Widely shared footage on social media appeared to show him headbutting the man, who then had to be restrained by other members of Usyk's entourage.
It was later reported that the Saudi Arabian authorities were aware of the incident but did not plan to take any action.
Joshua expects to fight at Wembley in September with Zhang or Wilder lined up
Anthony Joshua expects to return to Wembley Stadium for his next fight in September, with either Zhilei Zhang or Deontay Wilder lined up as his opponent.
Joshua stopped Francis Ngannou in the second round in March, his fourth straight win since suffering back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022.
His last two fights have been held in Saudi Arabia, but as he inches closer to a shot at regaining the titles he lost to Usyk three years ago, he is eyeing a return to his native London.
"It'll be some date between September 20 and September 25. Whenever they tell me there's a date, you know I'll be ready 100 per cent," Joshua told TalkSport of his next fight.
"It's going be in London, Wembley Stadium, this is what I'm being told. If this is what they say, they usually stick to their word."
Pushed on possible opponents, he said the result of Zhang's upcoming bout with Wilder – who was scheduled to face Joshua in March only for those plans to be derailed by a shock defeat to Joseph Parker – will be decisive.
"On June 1 in Saudi Arabia, they've got Filip Hrgovic versus Daniel Dubois and Zhilei Zhang versus Deontay Wilder. Out of that pool, that's who I'll be fighting."
On Wilder, Joshua added: "If he looks good, that'll reignite that flame that he had. Boxing is all about perception, so I pray he does his thing and Zhang does his thing, and I'm ready."
There has also been plenty of talk about Joshua facing Tyson Fury in an all-British tussle in recent years. The WBC heavyweight champion faces Usyk in a huge unification bout next month, and with a two-way rematch clause present in their deal, they are likely to face off twice before the year is out.
When those obligations have been met, Joshua will be waiting, saying: "I know the fans want that big fight with Fury, but he's got his obligations with Usyk.
"They're working on it but I've just got to stay focused, stay disciplined, steamroller through opponents and get closer and closer to having a fight with Fury. Hopefully that'll be in London as well."
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