09 March 2024 , 01:39
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Tyson Fury poured cold water on the prospect of him fighting Anthony Joshua this year.
Joshua knocked out former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in the second round to propel himself into an undisputed clash with the winner of Tyson Fury's meeting with Oleksandr Usyk. But Fury insists he will fight Usyk twice, on May 18 and again in October, before he entertains the prospect of an all-British clash.
"I'm sure that Oleksandr Usyk will have something to say about that given he beat him twice," he said. "For the actual real boxing, it’s me and Usyk who fight for the undisputed heavyweight world championship of the world. I had a s*** performance against Ngannou and I almost got it right, I predicted one round. He did absolutely fantastic tonight, he lit him up with a right hand and knocked him out. That’s what a boxer should have done with him, but if he fights next year it’ll be a different game."
Joshua KO’d Francis Ngannou in round two – not the first as Fury predicted"I think there’s quite a long way to go, in the last five years there’s always been some s*** that get in the way of it. I’ve got bigger fish to fry on May 18 and then we’ve got a rematch in October. I’m still dismissive of him, styles make fights and my style for him is kryptonite. I’ve always said AJ is built to measure for me, just because he knocked out that guy with a right hand it’s not the same. Styles make fights, he couldn’t land any of those right hands on Usyk, a smaller and lighter man. His style is made for me, once we get through the rabbit then we go down for AJ."
Joshua floored his opponent in the first round with a right hand to the chin then again early in the second with a right-left hook combination. Ngannou got to his feet but was quickly put back down by a strong right hand, after which the referee put a stop to the contest.
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The 37-year-old, who performed well in losing narrowly on points to WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in what had been his only previous fight, started brightly again in Riyadh, holding his own well for much of the first round.
He was put on the canvas by Joshua with about a minute to go in the round, beating the count at nine and making it back to his feet to see out the final 40 seconds. However, when he was knocked down again in the second round there appeared to be little chance of Ngannou continuing, and after struggling back up he was quickly knocked out by a big right hand to put an end to the contest in Joshua’s favour.
Ngannou required oxygen in the ring as he was attended to by medics in the immediate aftermath, before recovering to leave the ring unaided. For Joshua it is now four wins in a row as he put himself in prime position to meet the winner of the May 18 fight between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.