Anthony Joshua’s emphatic victory over Francis Ngannou has sparked some controversy after the British boxer appeared to snub his Nigerian heritage in his post-fight speech.
Following his dominant second-round knockout in the “Knockout Chaos” main event held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Joshua thanked Ngannou, the Cameroonian fans, and the UK crowd. However, his words notably omitted any mention of his Nigerian roots:
“Thank you, Francis, shoutout to Cameroon. Where are my people from London? Where are my people from Watford? The biggest shoutout of all goes to the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia.”
Despite the controversy, Joshua displayed sportsmanship by encouraging Ngannou to continue boxing:
“This doesn’t take anything away from Ngannou’s capabilities. In boxing it’s one of the other right? He can come again. Do you think Francis can come again (asking the crowd that responds with approval). That’s what I’m talking about. Yeah, he can come again. I told him he should not leave boxing. He can do well. Remember he’s two fights in and he’s one of the best. He can go a long way if he stays dedicated. It’s up to him.”
The former heavyweight champion dominated the fight, sending the 37-year-old Ngannou, a UFC veteran with limited boxing experience, crashing to the canvas three times before the referee intervened. This win puts Joshua back in contention for another world title shot.
Meanwhile, all eyes are now on the upcoming heavyweight unification bout between Tyson Fury (who was present ringside) and Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua is clearly hungry for a shot at the winner, with his promoter Eddie Hearn calling for a mega-fight against Fury:
“There’s a brilliant fighter down there in Tyson Fury. Please beat Oleksandr Usyk, because you will get the biggest fight of all time.”
Joshua’s night wasn’t just about his own victory. The undercard saw Joseph Parker of New Zealand secure the WBO interim heavyweight title with a hard-fought majority decision win over China’s Zhilei Zhang, despite suffering two knockdowns himself. Another notable undercard fight was the split-decision draw between Britain’s Nick Ball and Mexico’s WBC featherweight champion Rey Vargas, where the challenger surprisingly floored the champion twice.
