Anthony Joshua (right) standing by a knocked out Francis Ngannou (image via DAZN / YouTube)

By FCF Staff

Francis Ngannou was unable to shock the boxing world for a second time on Friday, as the former UFC heavyweight champ was viciously knocked out by Anthony Joshua.

The stars squared off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Joshua finished the fight with a booming right hand in round two. Ngannou had been knocked down two times prior to the fight’s final blow.

The 37-year-old Ngannou (0-2) was booked for the high-profile fight, after buzzing the combat sports world in October, by knocking down Tyson Fury in their contest. Fury managed to recover and recorded a split-decision win.

The 34-year-old Joshua (24-3) has now won four straight, after dropping consecutive fights to Oleksandr Usyk.