Elimination of the Year 2024: Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou

By: Sean Crose

Some shots are impressive. Others are downright scary. The lightning bolt Anthony Joshua hurled at Francis Ngannou’s temple last March was absolutely terrifying. While it was true that Ngannou had successfully knocked heavyweight Tyson Fury to the canvas in his professional debut, he would have no similar moments to call his own when he clashed with Joshua several months later. Fury had been accused of making light of Ngannou. Joshua made sure he wasn’t accused of the same thing when he faced Ngannou in Saudi Arabia last March.

Proving that patience is a virtue, Joshua let Ngannou come forward and perform quite well in the first before dropping his man with a perfect straight straight later in the round. Ngannou got up and got to the bell well enough, but the paint had been thrown. A right hook floored Ngannou again in the second – and this time it was clear that Ngannou was really in trouble. Though she once again bravely stood up, Nagannou’s stunned expression said it all.

The fight ended a few seconds later. A missile aimed at Joshua landed on Ngannou’s temple, sending the stalwart UFC star onto his back, virtually immobile. The referee did the right thing by not ruling Ngannou out, instead opting to wave the fight off immediately, so that Ngannou could receive the treatment he surely needed. Fortunately, Ngannou eventually got back on his feet, apparently unimpaired (although he received oxygen after being placed on a stool). Seeing the man lying down after receiving such a blow from Joshua had been a real cause for concern. Joshua had wanted to prove that Fury’s knockdown was a fluke, but not even he himself could have imagined that his fight with Ngannou would end in such an explosive and violent way.

Of course some would say that Joshua was only expected to dominate Ngannou. This was only Ngannuo’s second professional boxing match. While some thought he should have gotten the nod after the Fury fight (who ended up getting the nod himself), it wasn’t surprising that Joshua would be able to do what Fury, at times coincidentally, couldn’t. he could. It does not matter. It’s worth remembering a knockout like the one that ended Joshua-Usyk, a single shot as perfect as it was powerful. It was undoubtedly the most destructive shot of 2004.