In a stunning upset in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Anthony Joshua silenced doubters with a second-round knockout victory over Francis Ngannou. The win was a critical one for the 34-year-old Briton, who had been searching for a dominant performance to reignite his career. Joshua looked sharp and decisive, reminiscent of his peak form, as he dismantled the Predator.
Still, Francis Ngannou has proved to be a dangerous opponent despite only having two professional boxing matches. But the excitement surrounding Ngannou’s potential was quickly extinguished by Joshua’s powerful blows. So much so that a renowned boxing journalist has now pointed out the novice mistake that got ‘Predator’ knocked out at the hands of AJ.
Francis Ngannou receives a lesson in Boxing 101
Dan Rafael reported on the biggest fight of this month – Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou. Many anticipated this fight to be a great one. However, Joshua didn’t sweat it out at all. Well, this surprised a lot of fans since a lot of people sided with Ngannou, especially after his performance against Tyson Fury. What made it so easy for AJ to KO Ngannou? Dan Rafael noted on X, “Rookie mistake from Ngannou leaving his left hand in no man’s land instead of defending himself.”
One of the fans while sharing a clip from the KO, wrote, “AJ wasn’t f***ing around.” It was from this angle in the clip that Rafael noted the fatal flaw that got Ngannou KO’ed. In boxing, when a boxer’s hand is neither fully guarding their face nor actively attacking, it’s called having your hands in ‘No Man’s Land’. This is what ended up happening with Ngannou, according to Rafael. These are basic defensive positions that amateur boxers are taught in the very beginning. Since Ngannou came from MMA, he never had the chance to get his boxing basics right.
