- Eddie Hearn celebrated Anthony Joshua’s KO win over Francis Ngannou and talked about what’s next
- The boxing and MMA community reacted to the epic showdown
Anthony Joshua got the boxing and MMA world buzzing about his knockout win over Francis Ngannou.
The baddest man on the planet
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn was unsurprisingly raving about his second-round KO victory over Ngannou. For Hearn, AJ’s win was a statement and it certainly cemented his reputation as the new “baddest man on the planet.”
“I expected [Joshua] to win, not necessarily like that and not necessarily so early. That was one of the most unbelievable performances I’ve seen. That knock out goes to every news outlet, that knock out goes to every media outlet, social media account. Anthony Joshua is the baddest man on the planet. And I’m telling you now, he beats everyone in the division… You know it! You know ‘AJ’s’ the best heavyweight in the world. He is back, baby! He’s got all the tools now. The defense, the footwork, the power, the spite… AJ is the goods and the future heavyweight world champion,” Hearn told iFL TV after the fight.
As expected, Heard is now looking forward to seeing Joshua face the winner of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury undisputed heavyweight title fight.
“Mate, I can’t even tell you. It was 10% of the fighter he is now. 10%. Let those two fight [Fury and Usyk]. Let’s go Tyson Fury, let’s get that win because then you have the biggest fight in the history of the sport,” Hearn concluded.
Everybody was stunned
Indeed, Joshua vs. Ngannou proved to be a combat sports spectacle. Many were expecting the fight to end in a knockout but nobody expected it to happen as early as Round 2. Understandably, both the boxing and MMA community reacted to Joshua’s sensational knockout win over Ngannou.
Here’s what some of them had to say on X.
Francis Ngannou is one of the greatest fighters of all time. Respect due.
Anthony Joshua is back.
Activity & focus drives dominance.— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) March 9, 2024
Let this be A BIG WARNING to MMA fighters!! Stop coming to boxing it will only get worst. ITS more even if we just go to your sport! OVER! ONE PUNCH.
Sending healing prayers to FRANCIS! Your bravery and guts should be commendable.
CONGRATULATIONS Anthony Joshua. https://t.co/D5TMyUGqcQ
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) March 9, 2024
Still the Baddest Mufucka on the planet 😤
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) March 9, 2024
Shit
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) March 9, 2024
https://t.co/3HCYuh0Fwk pic.twitter.com/p12nijiQG9
— “Wonderboy” Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) March 9, 2024
Damn 😡
— Rampage Jackson (@Rampage4real) March 9, 2024
🙏🏽 pray he’s healthy.
A fighter really should give their brain a year to recover after a night with this type of trauma. https://t.co/kkHDrnjKGV
— CrisCyborg.Com (@criscyborg) March 9, 2024
BREAKING: Jake Paul cancels his fight with Mike Tyson and calls out Francis Ngannou for a bout in 3 weeks. Says, “Stop ducking me.”
— MacMally 🍀 (@MacMallyMMA) March 9, 2024
Holy shit that was nasty
— Demetrious Johnson (@MightyMouse) March 9, 2024
Those are three of some of the hardest right hands I’ve seen land in combat sports and they all landed in one fight against Ngannou. My goodness! Anthony Joshua made it look easy tonight. Good to see Francis back on his feet after that.
— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) March 9, 2024
Yo guys.. look into this right quick. pic.twitter.com/dkgo5qdZk3
— Adrian Yañez (@yanezmma) March 9, 2024
Drake did it again
— Brian BOOM Kelleher (@brianboom135) March 9, 2024
Despite the devastating KO loss, Ngannou remains positive about his boxing career. He is unsure about what lies ahead of him but he insisted that he is not done with boxing yet.
Watch Hearn’s full interview below:
