1) A boxer beats a mixed martial artist in a boxing ring
Yes, this is clear. But Francis Ngannou's exploits in October (dropping Tyson Fury and nearly beating him) made us all question what we believed for a moment there. He would like to thank Anthony Joshua for resolving the uncertainty and resuming normal service.
2) Ngannou has grown in confidence.
Admittedly, this may be debatable now, but the way Ngannou has improved in Riyadh shows he is confident and confident he will beat Joshua. Ta. He was low-handed at times and even switched to southpaw in the first round, almost seeming arrogant until that turned out to be a bad decision.
3) Joshua can throw a perfect right hand.
On the undercard in Riyadh, there was a sharp left straight from Jiray Zhang, but in the next match, Joshua's right straight was even better. Perfectly executed, his right-hand cross in the opening game was the most direct and devastating ever.
4) Joshua respects Ngannou
It may simply be due to his history, his struggles and what they have in common, but one thing is clear: Joshua spends a lot of time on Ngannou. He even offered to “help” him after the match and encouraged him to continue boxing.
5) Ngannou's mystique shattered
If Ngannou continues to box, he won't be able to sell like he used to. After all, a lot of the pre-talk was about how he's pain tolerant and tough enough to not even blink in a full shot.
Anthony Joshua KOs Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
6) There's no shame in dropping down
Ngannou, who has bravely challenged Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua for huge sums of money, would be wise to set his future goals a little lower if he continues like this. With his style, there will still be plenty of matchups involving him that will appeal to casual fans.
7) The reality check was very welcome.
Before the first bell, Ngannou was announced by Michael Buffer as “the most dangerous puncher in the heavyweight division”, even though he had yet to win a boxing match with punches. We knew we had to end the hype.
8) Riyadh is very quiet
While the crowd got a little excited when they saw Ngannou called out following a right hand from Joshua, the overall atmosphere of the event didn't elevate it or build anticipation.
9) Joshua threw the best right hand I've ever seen.
The praise for Joshua's finishing punch came in the immediate aftermath, with many hailing it as the best they'd ever witnessed live, and to some extent it was well-deserved. However, the real boxer must not forget the background of the punch when comparing it with the right hand that he used to end the match between the two.
10) It still doesn't mean anything
It was very nice to see Joshua do what Tyson Fury should have done in October, and as impressive as he did it, it's true that Joshua has been boxing professionally for 12 months now. I still can't escape the fact that I did the same thing to the person I was with.I used to watch it on TV.
