Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou Highlights: Drake Loses $615,000 Bet, Parker Enters Usyk vs. Fury Rat Race, Boxer Fights His Heart Out in Late Mother’s Honor, and More

A few hours ago, the Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou starrer ‘Knockout Chaos’ wrapped up. The event lived up to its expectations. Besides captivating fans with an exhilarating and suspense-filled experience, it kept them on the edge of their seats.

The ten-odd action-packed bouts bewitched fans through the evening. Aside from the main event, the ten-round, non-title fight between ‘AJ’ and ‘The Predator’, the boxing gala featured bouts for world as well as regional titles. News, updates, and snippets kept the buzz around the event alive. They offered a glimpse into the happenings beyond the ring.

Paving the Way for the Main Event: Belts at Stake

Unbeaten Aussie heavyweight Justus Huni won the vacant WBO Global Heavyweight Championship by scoring a victory over Kevin Lerena from South Africa. The fight was especially emotional for 31-year-old Lerena, who lost his mother a few days ago. In the beginning, he gave a good account of himself. But as the rounds passed, the 24-year-old Aussie gradually started making an entry back into the game, eventually winning by a unanimous decision.

The WBA light middleweight title fight took place between Israil Madrimov and Magomed Kurbanov. The former, a 29-year-old Uzbekistan-born boxer now based out of the United States, won his tenth professional fight with a fifth-round technical win over the 28-year-old Russian opponent.

Unbeaten Liverpudlian Nick Ball, despite sending Ray Vargas twice on to the canvas, couldn’t achieve much breakthrough to dislodge the featherweight title holder. The experienced Mexican, who lost his maiden attempt at capturing the super featherweight title to O’Shaquie Foster last year, however, managed to reduce the impact by maintaining distance with his jabs.

Thus, one of the judges scored 119-116 in favor of the English boxer. The other, 114-112 for Vargas. The match eventually ended in a split-decision draw as the third judge handed over a 113-113 verdict.

25-year-old southpaw Mark Chamberlain scored a technical knockout victory over Gavin Gwynne to win the vacant WBA intercontinental lightweight title. A flurry of punches from Portsmouth, Hampshire-born Chamberlain saw the 33-year-old Welshman wilt by the fourth round, forcing the referee to stop the fight.

Make Place for the Big Boys

Finally, it was time for the co-main and the main event of the night. First, Zhilei Zhang had to defend his WBO (interim) title from Joseph Parker. Ever since his loss to Joe Joyce in 2022, the 32-year-old New Zealander has been on a resurgence, getting stronger with each bout. During the ‘Day of Reckoning’ he stunned the world by outboxing Deontay Wilder. During his third consecutive fight at the Kingdom Arena, he went down twice against the heavy-hitting Zhang.

However, staying active throughout the fight, Parker outboxed the 40-year-old ‘Big Bang’. In the end, his composure paid off. Two of the judges scored in his favor, 114-112, and 115-111. The third judge, though, considered it an even match, 113-113. Perhaps more significantly, the win has taken Joseph Parker closer to his dream of becoming a world champion. As the new WBO (interim) heavyweight champion, he is the new mandatory challenger to Oleksandr Usyk, the reigning title holder.

Battle Royale: Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou

Finally, it was time for ‘The Predator’ to meet ‘AJ’. Given how he almost managed to turn the tables on Tyson Fury, many expected that Francis Ngannou would do the unthinkable tonight. However, it was not to be his day by any measure. In the opening itself, a neat straight right from Anthony Joshua floored Francis Ngannou. However, he managed to get up within the referee’s count.

The second round didn’t turn out well for the former UFC heavyweight champion. Soon after it began, Anthony Joshua sent Ngannou down to the canvas for the second time. His right cross then found its mark and knocked out the Cameroonian-French fighter, sealing his fate for good.

It’s a statement win from the English heavyweight. It seems, he has finally come out of the shadows of the defeats at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk. In fact, given the current situation, if the Ukrainian unified champion wins the May 18 fight against Fury, then he can meet Anthony Joshua for a trilogy bout and close any pending business once and for all.

But, as it appears, there were a few others who suffered as a result of Francis Ngannou’s knockout loss.

Gone with the Punch

Reportedly, Drake, the Canadian musician and rapper, backed around $615,000 on Francis Ngannou’s win. However, as it eventually turned out, he eventually ended up losing the amount. The music legend shared the details in an Instagram post later.

Drake is widely known for putting his money on combat athletes frequently. A win would have made him richer by $1.9 million, it seems.

Boxing vs. MMA

Given their backgrounds, a few discussions hovered around the hotly debated mixed martial arts versus boxing issue. Ryan Garcia wasted no time to give a heads-up to the mixed martial artists who look forward to a boxing sojourn with dreams of making big money. He must have found himself flooded with count-points soon enough, though.

In a span of five months, Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena played host to three mega events. It follows the intense ‘Day of Reckoning’ on December 23 and the earlier ‘Battle of the Baddest’ on October 28. Fans must now be looking forward to the much-vaunted Tyson Fury versus Oleksandr Usyk title dispute. The first undisputed champion to emerge in the last 25 years might slug it out against Anthony Joshua during a title defense.

Undercard Marvels

The Andrii Novytskyi–Juan Torres fight opened ‘Knockout Chaos’. However, for a heavyweight bout, it got over much sooner than anticipated. The Odessa, Ukraine-born Novytskyi continued his unbeaten trend and knocked down the 37-year-old Texan opponent in the third round of their eight-round battle.

Then a light welterweight battle saw Saudi Arabia-born Ziyad Almaayouf take on Christian Lopez Flores, a Mexico-born but Slovakia-based boxer. The much younger Almaayouf won the six-round fight on points, 60-54.

The event featured a match between Roman Fury, Tyson Fury‘s brother, and Martin Svarc. The scion of the Fury family won the heavyweight battle on points (39-37), inflicting a first professional loss for the 29-year-old Czech native. Incidentally, the WBC heavyweight champion, who is preparing for the undisputed battle with Oleksandr Usyk on May 18, was present to cheer his brother.

An all-British clash took place between the 31-year-old light middleweight from Kent, Louis Greene, and Jack McGann from Liverpool. The much-experienced Greene, ‘The Medway Mauler’, stopped McGann, ‘The Pilgrim’, in the very first round of their ten-round fight with a right overhand. Reportedly, the latest victory makes Green the mandatory challenger to the Commonwealth title currently held by Sam Gilley, who defeated him last year.

Read More: “Saudis Have Changed the Game”: Undercard Announcement for Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou Fight Leaves Fans Hyped for March Event

How would you rate your experience of watching ‘Knockout Chaos’? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

Also Read: Francis Ngannou Says He’s ‘Lacking’ This Factor Ahead of His Fight With Anthony Joshua