A mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar was crushed in his second boxing match. We’re talking about Francis N’Ghanou (38, Cameroon), who was unbeatable in the UFC’s heavyweight division (120 kilograms or less). After jumping from the UFC, N’Gannou went 2-0 in two boxing fights. He showed promise against Tyson Fury (36-Britain) in his debut, but failed to last six minutes in his second bout against Anthony Joshua (34-Britain).
N’Ghanu was submitted via second-round TKO in a heavyweight (90+ pounds) bout at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 9. “Boxers don’t make the jump to MMA, so I’m going to go in there and kill two birds with one stone,” said N’Ghanu, who has defeated the best UFC heavyweight fighter of his generation. N’Gannu scored a takedown in his debut against WBC heavyweight champion Fury last October, but lost a controversial decision. The win propelled N’Gannu to No. 10 in the professional boxing world rankings.
Joshua is a legitimate boxer who won the super heavyweight (93+ kg) gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics. “I thought N’Ghanu’s boxing challenge was just a ‘light show’ to make money,” Joshua said, “but after watching Fury, I realized how serious N’Ghanu was, and I was ready to take him seriously.”
The match was one-sided. N’Gannou was dropped twice in the first round by Joshua’s right straight and left uppercut. The fight split in the second round. With 30 seconds left in the second round, the fighters closed the distance. N’Gannou took advantage of this 스포츠토토 moment to land a jab to the face of Joshua, who had his guard down. Joshua paused, slowing his timing, and Nganu’s jab stopped on the tip of Joshua’s nose. Joshua then connected with a right hook to Nganu’s chin, ending the fight.
“MMA and boxing are two different sports,” Joshua emphasized, “and this loss doesn’t take anything away from what N’Gannou has accomplished in MMA.” “N’Gannou’s challenges are motivating,” he said, adding, “I would love to see him come back and fight again anytime.”
Despite the two losses, N’Gannou earned $30 million ($39.6 million) for his two boxing fights. That’s more than nine times what N’Gannou earned for 20 MMA fights (estimated at $3.5 million).
The big money in boxing keeps the sport alive. Retired “Nuclear Fist” Mike Tyson (58, USA) will meet “Influencer Boxer” Jake Paul (28, USA) in the ring in July. The pay-per-view fee for the fight is unknown, but Paul has said that “fighting Tyson is a $300 million ($395 million) event.”
