Above: Francis Ngannou (right) hung his head while many boxing fans breathed a sigh of relief. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Matchroom)

ORDER WAS RESTORED IN BOXING WHEN FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION ANTHONY JOSHUA DID TO FRANCIS NGANNOU WHAT MANY HAD EXPECTED TYSON FURY TO DO LAST OCTOBER

All throughout fight week, Anthony Joshua carried the confidence and swagger of someone who knew what was going to happen.

That was never clearer than when the former unified heavyweight champ spoke with media at a villa inside the Boulevard World theme park in Riyadh. In these luxurious surroundings, adjacent to the Kingdom Arena where his bout with Francis Ngannou would be held, AJ looked in excellent fighting shape and the smile rarely left his face.

“I’m getting better, and I can feel the progression,” said Joshua in relation to his current form under head trainer Ben Davison. “I’m like a protection dog. I want to kill, but give me a treat and I’m buzzing. You’ve got to do the work to get that treat.”

While the analogy inspired thoughts of brutality, it was delivered with such calmness by the British superstar. Having cautiously picked Joshua to win by stoppage from the beginning, I left that media roundtable convinced that Ngannou could not win the fight.

(Photo by Tom Gray)

It’s a unique experience covering a show in Riyadh. Far from being a boxing hotbed, the city’s inhabitants aren’t consumed by any pre-fight buzz during fight week, so the atmosphere stays serene. You can mention the fight that you’re attending to locals and they have no idea what you’re talking about.

Navigating Riyadh is also a challenge. With no internal train line in operation, everyone drives. The population is approaching eight million, so rush hour is like something out of a Wacky Races cartoon. If you need to get somewhere a 10-minute drive away, then be sure to give yourself 45 minutes. There are six lanes of traffic cutting through the city in both directions and perpetual car horns and near misses are the norm.

Despite all of that, it’s a very cool place to be. The weather is fantastic, the people are friendly, and there’s lots to do if you have time on your side. Unfortunately, with interviews, editing and a ton of writing to take care of, my time was so limited that I was often working from the back of an Uber.

Promoters Frank Warren (left) and Eddie Hearn. (Photo by Tom Gray)

However, I did get a little chill time. Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn invited members of the print media to lunch at a Mediterranean restaurant named Mamo on the Wednesday of fight week. It was a classy place to eat, with multiple courses and high-quality service. Hearn, a great storyteller, held court, and after addressing a variety of topics, he recalled an incident from the night before.

The Saudi Minister and Head of Entertainment, Turki Alalshikh, had invited all the fighters appearing on the forthcoming card, along with Hearn, his new promotional partner Frank Warren and WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, to his residence. Now, what are the chances of that lot being brought together without something kicking off? 

As one might expect, it was “The Gypsy King” in the middle of a fracas. According to Hearn, when Ngannou approached Fury to shake his hand, the WBC champ gave him the brush-off and the histrionics began. He accused Ngannou of calling him a “coward” and questioned him over not accepting the decision win Fury had scored last October.

Later that night, just before the final press conference, the media quizzed the former UFC champ about the incident.

“I was very calm and told him, ‘The only moment that you have a chance is in a boxing ring!’” Ngannou said ominously. “You can get up [from being knocked down] and that’s all right, but I know you can’t do shit. You can talk shit and you can’t do shit.

“Tyson can’t intimidate me. Again, the only moment that he has a chance is when the boxing rules apply. If you take that [away], I beat him every day from Monday to Sunday, maybe twice on Sunday.'”

Many believed Ngannou had benefited more from a lackadaisical Tyson Fury than from his own boxing prowess. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Matchroom)

Ngannou exceeded all expectations against Fury in what was his pro boxing debut. He performed with more flare and know-how than anyone expected that night. It wasn’t just that he knocked Fury off his feet in a sensational round three or that he came close to winning on points. The colossal Cameroonian held his shape on the outside, matched Fury for strength on the inside and carried himself very well.

No heavyweight boxer was going to sleep on Ngannou again, and that proved to be his downfall. It’s common knowledge that Fury was not dialed-in mentally for Ngannou, and he almost succumbed to the biggest upset in sports’ history as a result. Conversely, Joshua took the challenge very seriously and trained himself to the bone.

Joshua was calm and focused despite the considerable pressure to save boxing from ridicule. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Matchroom)

And, as crazy as it may sound, despite being a prohibitive underdog, it was Ngannou who was underestimating his opponent this time. The 37-year-old behemoth was asked what punch Joshua is vulnerable to in a fight, and a little smile appeared on his face.

“I think every punch that lands will always cause [Joshua] problems,” Ngannou said dismissively. “When he fought Andy Ruiz, I think the left hook was a huge problem for him. Everything can beat everybody. I’m sure on the right-hand side, he doesn’t want to find out.”

Well, when fight night arrived, it was Ngannou that couldn’t handle AJ’s right side. With two minutes gone in the opening round, Ngannou, as he’d done with Fury, switched to the southpaw stance. A few seconds later, Joshua rammed home a right hand that floored his opponent heavily.

Ngannou goes down in the first round. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Matchroom)

In boxing, knowledge is power. Not only could Joshua land, but he could cause damage. The fearsome Ngannou had entered the bout as something of an indestructible force. He’d never been visibly hurt in combat sports, which gave his fans, his team and himself a false sense of security.

Bottom line: outside of Deontay Wilder, the 34-year-old AJ is arguably the hardest puncher among the heavyweight elite. You don’t want Joshua hitting you flush – ever. Between rounds one and two, in my ringside notes, I wrote simply, “This is over!”

And the fight should have been over following the first knockdown in round two. Joshua jabbed up and down, taking the power out of Ngannou’s offense while purposefully giving him the confidence to attack. When he did, Joshua countered a slow and ponderous left hand with another rocket right to the head. Ngannou went down hard, and this time he was out of it. The gutsy MMA star got up at the count of eight, but his eyes were vacant and he was as meek as a lamb. The referee let him go, at which point Joshua marched across the ring and took a free shot. It was another lethal right hand that saw an unconscious Ngannou’s right leg fold beneath him.

He was out cold.

The bout had been tabbed “Knockout Chaos,” and that is precisely what the Saudi Arabia crowd received in the main event. After I’d filed my fight report – not a long process – I made my way to the press conference. It was now almost 4 a.m. local time, so everyone was running on empty.

Well, almost everyone.

Promoter Eddie Hearn looked like he could stay awake forever. His eyes sparkled and danced as he waxed lyrical about Joshua being “the number one heavyweight in the world.” Any Usyk fans in the room would have had a giggle, but you could forgive Hearn for promoter hyperbole. His flagship fighter had produced a punch-perfect performance – and in that form, with that power, AJ is a threat to anyone in the division.

When the press conference commenced, I asked Joshua if his devastating knockout over Ngannou will dissuade other MMA fighters from crossing over to boxing. “No, I think Francis Ngannou beat the WBC heavyweight champion of the world,” countered Joshua in a flash. “I should be the WBC heavyweight champion of the world.”

Turns out heavyweight boxing actually is a sport for serious people. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Matchroom)

The media bus took a long time to arrive, which had been the case for most of the week. However, thankfully, the roads were clear as we made the 15-minute journey back to the Crowne Plaza hotel from where everyone would go their separate ways. Before the bus had come to a halt, I was already arranging for an Uber to take me across town to my own hotel.

When I arrived, the first person I saw was Ben Davison, “Thank God that was over quick,” was my opening line as I staggered up behind him and boxing coach/video analyst Lee Wylie. Davison smiled and was exuberant for a few seconds before exhaustion took over. It was 6 a.m. and the long flight back to the U.K. was weighing heavy on everyone’s mind.

On my flight out of Riyadh the next evening was none other than John Fury, father of Tyson. He was accompanied by his son, Roman, who had scored a six-round decision in a heavyweight bout on the undercard. John Fury, an ex-pro, had been impressed by Joshua, who he gets on very well with, but stated that an unmotivated Tyson had made Ngannou look far better than he was.

Despite the temptation to discuss a Fury-Joshua bout, the conversation soon switched to Riyadh’s next major boxing event.

“Tyson will beat Usyk, don’t you worry about that!” said Fury confidently before heading to his departure gate.

AJ remains a destructive force and eagerly awaits the winner.