‘Don’t leave boxing,’ Anthony Joshua tells inspirational Ngannou

British boxer Anthony Joshua (L) competes with Cameroonian-French boxer Francis Ngannou during their heavyweight boxing match in Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena indoor stadium, on March 9, 2024. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP)

Two-time former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua wants MMA legend Francis Ngannou to continue boxing after they both squared up early Saturday morning in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Joshua knocked down Ngannou three times, with the third one proving too much for Cameroonian boxer who was just featuring in his second competitive boxing match.

Ngannou lost his first match against Tyson Fury in a split decision in an October fight that saw him put the WBC champion on the canvas in the third round.

“You are an inspiration,” Joshua told Ngannou just after the fight. “You will beat a lot of people. Don’t leave boxing.”

“No, I will not,” Ngannou replied.

Joshua, a former unified WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion, went into the fight on the back of three successive wins.

Before that, however, he lost back-to-back fights to Oleksandr Usyk, who will fight Fury for the undisputed heavyweight title in Saudi Arabia in May.

“When I saw the fight with Tyson Fury, I thought, ‘I want some of that’. He is a great champion and this doesn’t take anything away from his capabilities,” Joshua told broadcaster DAZN after his quickfire victory.

“I told (Ngannou) not to leave boxing. He’s two fights in and he fought the best.”

The fight only got under way at 3:30 am local time (0030 GMT), but weary fans enjoyed a sensational start when Joshua quickly sent Ngannou to the canvas in the opening round with a brutal right to the chin.

It got worse for the Cameroonian when he was knocked down again in the second round, just managing to beat the