Wayne Rooney lauds Anthony Joshua for putting UFC fighters 'in their place' amid celebrity boxing talks

Wayne Rooney has hailed Anthony Joshua's devastating second-round knockout of Francis Ngannou and admitted he "enjoyed" seeing the heavyweight boxer put the former UFC champion in his place.

Thirty-four-year-old Joshua defeated MMA-fighter-turned-boxer Ngannou at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia on Friday night after knocking the Cameroonian to the canvas three times inside the first two rounds. It was Ngannou's second bout after getting in the ring and performing admirably against WBC champion Tyson Fury in October.

However, after Joshua put on a destructive performance to secure a resounding knockout inside two rounds, Rooney said he was pleased to see another ex-UFC fighter put "in their place".

"Yeah, I watched it," said the former Manchester United and England forward. "I think it was great. When you see these UFC fighters crossover, I think it's great that a boxer puts them in their place. I enjoyed it."

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Rooney's comments come at a time when he has been tipped to get in the ring and make his boxing debut, having previously trained in the amateur gyms of Liverpool during his childhood.

The 38-year-old, who left Manchester United in 2017 to re-sign for boyhood club Everton, has pursued a career in football management since hanging his boots up in 2021 but after being sacked by Championship outfit Birmingham City in January, revealed that he received an offer - which he later turned down - to fight on KSI's Misfits promotion.

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn recently backed Rooney to put on a huge