The highly-anticipated Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou fight abruptly ended in Saudi Arabia after the former UFC Heavyweight Champion was knocked out in Round 2 of just the second professional boxing match of his storied combat sports career.

Ngannou came into the fight with what is perhaps the greatest debut loss in boxing, pushing Heavyweight champ Tyson Fury to the limit while losing in his very first match, which was decided via a narrow split decision after knocking Fury down.

However, the result was very different once he finally faced off against former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. While Ngannou looked very comfortable early in the first round, everything changed when he ate a massive right from Joshua, which knocked the former UFC champion down.

While normally orthodox, Ngannou changed to southpaw in the first round. This led Joshua to throw a feint with a jab. Ngannou bit and lowered his right hand to parry the fake. However, this led him to be open to a massive right that floored him and had him sitting on the canvas, according to CBS News.

Ngannou bet the referee's count and managed to survive Round 1. However, that right from Joshua clearly affected the Cameroonian as Joshua found a way to get inside his defenses just by throwing feints at him.

Another feint led to another knockdown in round 2. This spelled the end for Ngannou as Anthony Joshua did not let up his attack against the former UFC champion. The match finally ended after Joshua floored Ngannou for the third time, knocking him unconscious for the knockout victory at the 2:38 mark of Round 2.

Anthony Joshua Tells Francis Ngannou That He Should Not Quit Boxing After KO Defeat

According to Yahoo! Sports, after two disappointing losses for Ngannou against world-class opponents, the Cameroonian may end up quitting boxing entirely. However, the man who beat him soundly on Friday thinks he should not.

"Don't leave boxing, don't do it," Joshua can be heard telling his opponent as he looked still dazed from the knockout right he received from the Brit. The former UFC champion was being tended to in his tool while breathing through an oxygen mask.

In another classy gesture, Anthony Joshua was also heard telling people that he wants to donate to Francis Ngannou's foundation, which aims to support the people of Cameroon and the rest of Africa.

Professionals React to Anthony Joshua Vs. Francis Ngannou Fight

Combat sports personalities and fighters took to social media to react to the Anthony Joshua Vs. Francis Ngannou match that happened in Saudi Arabia, including Ngannou and Joshua's common opponent, Tyson Fury, who predicted a first-round KO win for Joshua. His prediction did not come true.

Other fighters also reacted:

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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