By Thomas Hauser
IN THE wee small hours of the morning in Saudi Arabia on March 9, Anthony Joshua restored some of boxing’s lost honour when he knocked out Francis Ngannou in the second round. Nothing in boxing comes easily, but ‘AJ’ made it look that way.
Ngannou (a 37-year-old UFC veteran) acquitted himself well in losing a split-decision in his boxing debut against an undertrained, out-of-shape Tyson Fury on October 28 of last year. Against Joshua, he looked like the novice that he is.
March 8 (which was when the nine-hour fight-card began) was originally on hold for Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder. But Wilder turned in a dreadful performance in losing a lopsided decision to Joseph Parker in Riyadh on December 23, and the numbers for Joshua-Wilder no longer added up. In today’s world where “trash boxing” is often taken as seriously as the real thing, Joshua-Ngannou was the logical next step for AJ. And it was an easier assignment for him than Joshua-Wilder would have been.
Joshua-Ngannou was scheduled for Friday so as not to conflict with the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix which was taking place in Jeddah on Saturday. Joshua sounded a philosophical note at the January 15 kick-off press conference when he told the media, “This fight is my everything, my soul, my spirit, my mind, my body. We’ll see where it leads me. I’m just searching for greatness; continuously searching for how to elevate myself, push forward in every aspect of my game. This is just another challenge and during each challenge I find out so much about myself. Even though I already know who I am, I know I am going to discover new things about myself and things that can take me to new heights.”
Later, AJ declared that Joshua-Ngannou was “the biggest challenge of my life,” which one assumes was promotional hype rather than a sign of illogical thinking.
Former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis weighed in on the proceedings in a social media post during the build-up to the festivities, stating, “Ngannou’s fight @Tyson Fury was a spectacle. The fight with AJ is also a spectacle. Hats off to Ngannou for making the most of his opportunities. He’s done nothing wrong. This is just the HW division in the year 2024. This fight adds ZERO credibility to AJ’s resume. He’s supposed to win this fight. And when he does, what does he gain or learn by beating someone in his second HW fight? If he loses, it’s an absolute disaster. The same stood for Fury and it almost cost him everything. I’ll break it down like the boxing fan I am. If AJ beats Ngannou, which he should, does that elevate him to a shot at undisputed? Beating Wallin & Ngannou? There’s a much better case for the winner of #ParkerZhang.”
And Jim Lampley (who would provide live commentary for the bout on PPV.com) offered this pre-fight assessment: “Joshua vs Ngannou is the fight which should tell us whether the surprising result of Fury vs Ngannou was more about a surprisingly good Ngannou or a surprisingly bad Fury. If Fury’s inability to master a decided underdog was caused by negligent training, inattention to detail, taking an MMA-origin opponent lightly, then an alert, attentive, trained and ready Joshua should handle that opponent with relative ease and re-establish that boxing is a different craft than the craft through which Ngannou earned his identity. My guess is Ngannou’s showing against Fury has created an incentive which will re-light Joshua’s fire, just what he needs after two losses to Oleksandr Usyk.”
Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou (Stephen Dunkley/Queensberry)
The many boxing legends who journeyed to Riyadh for Fury-Ngannou were largely absent from Joshua-Ngannou, presumably because, this time, the Saudi government didn’t pay them to come. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh (the architect of Saudi Arabia’s boxing program) was praised repeatedly at fight-related events the way that Don King and Al Hayman once were.
Tyson Fury was on site, seemingly relaxed and in better shape 10 weeks before his upcoming bout against Oleksandr Usyk than he had been on fight night for Fury-Ngannou.
There were nine fights on the undercard of Joshua-Ngannou, the most significant of which was Zhilei Zhang vs. Joseph Parker. Zhang once lost a decision to Filip Hrgovic and was held to a draw by Jerry Forrest but fought his way back into contention by knocking out Joe Joyce twice last year. Parker moved back into the heavyweight spotlight this past December by virtue of his upset victory over Wilder.
Zhang was a 2/1 favorite and, despite knocking Parker down twice, looked ordinary. He’s 40 years old but in some ways still fights like an amateur. Against Parker, Zhang never used his 6ft 6ins, 290-pound bulk to lean on, shake, or otherwise tire his foe. He pawed with his jab and, after eight rounds, was gulping for air as if Saudi Arabia were at high altitude. In round 12 of what was clearly a close fight, Zhang landed zero punches. Parker won a 115-111, 114-112, 113-113 majority decision. The two men have a rematch clause for a fight that very few people want to see again.
Joseph Parker aims a right hand at Zhilei Zhang during their heavyweight fight in Saudi Arabia (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
As for Joshua-Ngannou…
The oddsmakers had installed AJ as a 7/2 betting favorite. Those odds seemed short but Fury-Ngannou was on people’s minds. In that regard, Ben Davison (AJ’s fourth trainer in his last five fights) noted, “Nobody knew what to expect last time. Everybody, being honest, was slightly dismissive.”
Unlike Fury, Joshua trained seriously for Ngannou. He came into the fight at a well-conditioned 252 pounds (20 pounds less than the equally-sculpted Ngannou).
Prior to the fight, Ngannou had said that he was prepared to go 10 hard rounds. This one lasted less than two. The difference between a champion boxer and a mixed martial arts competitor was quickly apparent.
Ngannou is a big puncher by MMA standards but not by boxing standards. With his fists, Joshua said to him, “You think you have power. I’ll show you what real power is.”
Francis fought like the novice he still is, leaving his left hand too far out and too low, which exposed him to right hands (AJ’s power punch). Joshua knocked him down three times, the final time rendering him unconscious.
Good for AJ. And shame on Tyson Fury.
Anthony Joshua knocks out Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
What comes next in the heavyweight division?
Fury and Usyk are scheduled to do battle in Riyadh on May 18 for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. There’s a bilateral rematch clause in place, so it’s likely that Fury-Usyk II (or Usyk-Fury II) will follow. When the dust settles, Fury-Joshua is a strong possibility. And Deontay Wilder might work his way back into the mix.
The larger question is what direction Saudi Arabia’s boxing program will follow.
When Turki Alalshikh expressed his love for boxing and cited Roberto Duran and Larry Holmes as two of his favorite fighters, purists were impressed. But consider what has happened in Saudi Arabia during the past 13 months. On October 28, 2023, Tyson Fury eked out a decision over Ngannou in Riyadh, while December 23 saw a return to more traditional fights with a card headlined by Joshua and Wilder in separate bouts. But after that, it was back to “trash-boxing” with Joshua-Ngannou as the headline attraction.
Looking ahead, Fury-Usyk and Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol (two significant fights) are scheduled. But if, as rumoured, a long-past-his-prime Manny Pacquiao (who hasn’t won a fight since 2019) returns to the ring in Saudi Arabia against Conor Benn (who as of this writing is without a license to fight in his own homeland and has unresolved PED issues with the British Boxing Board of Control and UKAD), it won’t do boxing any favours and will be far from the best that money can buy.
Also, Turki Alalshikh has spoken openly of having serious health issues that he has suggested are life-threatening. If he steps aside, will Saudi Arabia’s commitment to boxing continue without his passion and direction? Or will the Saudi Arabian goose stop laying golden eggs?
Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His next book – MY MOTHER and me” is a personal memoir that will be published by Admission Press this spring and is available for pre-order at Amazon.com.