Anthony Joshua, Francis Ngannou Match: Fans Think It Was Rigged
Anthony Joshua roared back to the front of the boxing conversation on Friday night by producing a devastating demolition of Francis Ngannou, just months after the ex-UFC fighter dropped Tyson Fury on his boxing debut.
The fight lasted two rounds and, other than a brief moment, it was entirely one-way traffic as the 2012 Olympic gold medalist and former-WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO heavyweight champion sent Ngannou to the canvas three times, including with what was practically his first power punch of the contest.
In what seemed like a bout where the decade of professional experience paid dividends for Joshua, Ngannou’s lack of boxing experience and fundamentals appeared to leave him exposed and out-classed by his 34-year-old rival.
Did Ngannou throw the fight to Joshua?
But is that truly the case? Some fans think he may have intentionally lost the fight…
The claim came as Anthony Joshua floored the ex-MMA fighter for the third and final time in the second round with 34 seconds left, one fan believes it was far from natural by Ngannou.
Ummmmm pic.twitter.com/cxgbjha9Q4
— King Jay🇿🇼 (@KingJayZim) March 11, 2024
“It’s how he bends his knee that doesn’t sit well with me. That’s not what an unconscious person does. #JoshuaNgannou,” a user posted to X.com, formerly Twitter, suggesting Ngannou had his mind present as he hit the deck.
And he garnered some support from other social media users, with one writing, “Noticed that also fr, might be scripted.”
A second added, “Was waiting for this”.
A third noted, “Like fr… I hope they not fixing matches in boxing again.”
Of course, others were not so receptive to the suggestion and proceeded to mock the original poster for something they felt he was clearly wrong about.
“Expert on unconsciousness over here,” one added with three laughing emojis too.
“That’s exactly how an unconscious person bends their knee lol,” wrote a second.
“He risks blowing out his knee to take a dive? Please Stop!,” a third said.
