Nigerian-Briton Anthony Joshua defeated Cameroonian-French Francis Ngannou at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday night.
Gatekeepers News reports that Joshua sent the most powerful statement to the heavyweight division after delivering a destructive second-round knockout win over Ngannou in the match.
34-year-old Joshua floored the UFC champion in the first round and early in the second.
Although dazed Ngannou rose to his feet in Riyadh, he was stunned by an explosive and formidable right moments later as the referee halted the contest.
He appeared to be out before he even hit the canvas and required medical treatment.
“I’m going back to my cage and when they let me out, I’ll fight again,” Joshua said, as WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury watched on from ringside.
Fury made tough work of Ngannou in October when he was dropped by the debutant before edging a points win.
Joshua said, “When I saw the fight with Tyson Fury I thought ‘I want some of that’. [Ngannou] is a great champion and this doesn’t take anything away from his capabilities.
“I told him not to leave boxing. He’s two fights in and he’s fought the best.”
Victory is two-time world champion Joshua’s fourth in 11 months, and keeps alive his ambition of recapturing a world title.
British sports promoter, Eddie Hearn, who has promoted Joshua throughout the heavyweight’s pro career, called to face the winner of Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
The pair will fight to become the undisputed heavyweight world champion in May, with a rematch later in the year.
Joshua has now won four fights in a row following his back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
