Anthony Joshua knocked out Francis Ngannou in their highly anticipated heavyweight fight. Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing/Getty Images
CNN — 
It was over before it really began in Saudi Arabia as Anthony Joshua pummeled his way past Francis Ngannou with a devastating knockout blow in the second round.
It was a much-needed victory for the 34-year-old Briton who has struggled to find his best boxing over the last few years. But this showing looked like the Joshua of old as he brutally eased past his opponent in Riyadh.
Coming into the fight, there was lots of excitement surrounding Ngannou in what was just his second ever professional boxing bout.
The French-Cameroonian had made a living in the UFC, where he had been heavyweight champion, but the veteran fighter fancied a change of scenery and moved from the octagon to the ring.
In his first professional fight, dubbed the ‘Battle of the Baddest,’ against Tyson Fury, Ngannou put on a good show with onlookers surprised by how quickly he adapted to life as a boxer and by how comfortable he looked against someone regarded as one of the finest heavyweights of all time.
This time around, however, it was very different.
Joshua's power proved to be too much for Ngannou. Richard Pelham/Getty Images
From the opening bell, Joshua looked to assert himself on the sport’s newcomer. In the first round, Joshua felled his opponent with a lethal straight right hand and instantly seized control in the Saudi capital.
It was more of the same in the second round with Joshua coming out swinging and Ngannou struggling. A combination from Joshua landed Ngannou on the canvas again, this time the 37-year-old barely surviving the referee’s count.
It was all but game over at this point and just seconds later, Joshua danced down the canvas before landing a lethal right hand which sent Ngannou sprawling.
“I should be the WBC heavyweight champion of the world,” a defiant Joshua told reporters after the fight.
Joshua celebrates after defeating Ngannou. Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images
Ngannou was gracious in defeat when talking of the decisive blow and made comparisons to Fury post-fight.
“He was quite special because he stopped me. He did what Tyson Fury couldn’t do,” Ngannou told reporters.
Fury-Joshua is the fight that a large proportion of the boxing world wants to see and after this win for Joshua, it feels like it could be just around the corner.
Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, seems confident in knowing who’ll win that fight.
“Everyone knows he knocks out Tyson Fury, I’ve always believed it now it’s not even questionable,” Hearn told Sky Sports after the fight.

Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou: former world champion faces MMA star with future title fight potentially on the line

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou face off ahead of their fight. Alex Pantling/Getty Images
CNN — 
The worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts have become entwined in recent years, with the stars of both sports meeting in the boxing ring to display their various talents.
Francis Ngannou is arguably the fighter who has taken the swap of disciplines most seriously, clashing with world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury last year in his boxing debut and more than holding his own in a controversial defeat.
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And the former UFC heavyweight title holder will once again step into the ring to take on another British former world heavyweight champion, this time in the shape of Anthony Joshua.
With a possible future title fight on the line – reports have suggested the winner could face the victor of the highly-anticipated Fury-Oleksandr Usyk unification fight – there’s a lot riding on Joshua and Ngannou’s clash.
Here’s everything you need to know.

How to watch

Ngannou and Joshua will exchange blows on Friday, March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the location of Ngannou’s previous fight against Fury.
They will take part in a 10-round clash, with their ring walks expected at around 6 p.m.
E.T. / 11 p.m. UK time.
Fans in the US and around the world can watch the event on DAZN pay-per-view, while Sky Sports will show the event in the UK.

Switching sports

Ngannou’s switch to boxing perhaps shouldn’t have come as a surprise given he began his fighting career in the ring.
Even before that, Ngannou underwent a remarkable journey – leaving Cameroon with just a backpack and traveling north through Africa to reach Europe – just to train as a fighter.
Ngannou battled crossing the Mediterranean by sea and was even detained in Spain for two months in a migrant center for illegally entering the country, according to the Guardian, before eventually reaching Paris where he found a gym to train. He remembers what he asked the owner at that time.
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“I have no money, I have nothing, but I want to be a world champion.”
However, the French-Cameroonian later moved to the octagon and went on to have huge success with the UFC.
He won the UFC heavyweight title in 2021, taking off of Stipe Miocic and later defended it against Frenchman Ciryl Gane.
Although Ngannou later left the UFC over a contract dispute and moved to the Professional Fighters League, he has yet to compete in the PFL and instead focused on his boxing career.
His debut fight against Fury came with a lot of fanfare, and Ngannou lived up to it as he traded blows with one of the greats of the sport, knocking down the British fighter in the third round of their clash. Despite losing on points, many scored the fight in Ngannou’s favor.
Ngannou has said that he thought that he won the fight with Fury and called himself the “underground king” of boxing.
Joshua himself was also impressed by Ngannou’s display. “I was watching the Fury and Ngannou fight from home, and from what I saw, I thought he won,” Joshua told Sky Sports.
Ngannou before his fight against Ciryl Gane during UFC 270. Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
“It’s not a gimmick, it’s not something that’s benefiting the broadcasters, it’s not just a fight for entertainment purposes,” added Joshua.
“This is a serious fight with someone who is prepared and understands the dynamic of boxing and he’s putting up a good fight against the apparently generational great. So I look at it now as something completely different.”
And ahead of his second professional boxing fight, Ngannou is confident of victory against Joshua, also questioning his opponent’s ability to withstand his power.
“I heard that he doesn’t have a chin,” Ngannou said, per Reuters.
“I don’t know if it’s true or not. We’re going to find out. I hope I have the opportunity to test that out, that’s my wish.”

A path back to the top

For Joshua, the fight is the next stage on his road to redemption.
Having burst onto the boxing scene with a 22-fight unbeaten streak, a defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. and two to Usyk have dented his reputation as a serious title contender.
The 34-year-old has achieved a three-fight win streak to put himself back in contention, but he still hasn’t yet returned to his previously untouchable status.
While some suggested Fury didn’t take Ngannou seriously enough before their fight, Joshuya is making no such assumptions.
“I don’t put that pressure on myself and I don’t have that thought about anything.
I just think about winning and doing what I need to do, that’s my mentality,” Joshua said.
“It’s a fight, it’s a 50/50 fight. Anything can happen. Crazier things have happened before. It is what it is. It’s a great opportunity for me to go back to work. If I didn’t take this opportunity that’s presented to me, when would I be fighting next?
“When you look at it, I’m not at the start of my career, I’m not at the middle of my career, I’d say I’m probably towards the end of my career.
Joshua during his fight against Jermaine Franklin on April 1, 2023. James Chance/Getty Images
“Call it whatever you want to call it, I’m just happy to be at work and doing my job and I can’t wait for the next opportunity that presents itself.”
A clash between the two British heavyweight boxing stars – Joshua and Fury – has been tipped for years now, but has never taken place.
If Joshua was to win against Ngannou, promoter Eddie Hearn isn’t ruling out the long-clamored bout finally taking place.
“The dream for Joshua has always been to be undisputed,” Hearn told the BBC. “If AJ beats Ngannou and Fury beats Usyk, the whole world will be calling for Fury vs. Joshua.
“It’s probably one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport. Certainly the biggest fight in boxing now.”

Explosive knockouts, unique fighting style and a love for dancing: meet the UFC’s newest debutant, Michael ‘Venom’ Page

Michael Page, a self-professed "showman," walks to the ring to take on Jeremie Holloway. Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire/AP
CNN — 
Michael Page stands motionless looking directly into a camera. Around him the room is an a frenzy, but he calmly spreads his arms wide while still locking eyes with the camera.
He is eventually dragged away, but not before sticking his tongue out at the camera operator, letting out a guttural scream of celebration.
The reason for the pose? Page has just burst onto the mixed martial arts (MMA) scene, performing an explosive tornado kick to win via technical knockout on his professional debut; the move drew parallels with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) great Anderson Silva.
The moment goes viral on social media and YouTube afterwards, vaulting Page into the consciousness of the wider MMA community despite it being his debut.
Twelve years on, the fighter from London will make his UFC debut against Kevin Holland on March 9 at UFC 299.
As one of MMA’s more polarizing figures due to his unique fighting style and the panache he brings to his bouts, the 36-year-old Page describes his fights as the “full package deal.”
“If you come to see my fights, it’s not just what happens in the fight: it’s before the fight, the build-up, it’s the walk out to a fight and it’s the celebration after the fight, which I’m very much known for,” Page told CNN Sport.
“But the fighting style, I’d say that comes from, it’s part of my personality. There’s a few elements. The Caribbean culture. I love to dance, love to smile, just loud, a bit more like outgoing.”
Page is hoping a UFC welterweight title fight against Leon Edwards could happen in the future. Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

A family affair

Both of his parents practised Lau Gar kung fu before moving to freestyle kickboxing, while he also had aunts and uncles who competed, as did a lot of his siblings. He says his parents were his “main inspirations” for taking up fighting.
“Even if I was to take you to my mom’s house now, there’s trophies there that are not mine, they’re hers,” says Page, adding that is family were “raised through the martial arts.”
He has fond memories of the bus rides to and from competitions, creating songs and singing them with his family as they traveled to and from events.
Page admits that he used to get his “ass kicked a lot” in those early stages of his career, but that the camaraderie, the stories, the friends he met along the way was a tonic to what happened in the ring.
While some of his family members gave up competitive fighting as the years went by, Page stuck with it. He learned the ropes and made his first steps in kickboxing as he toughened up.
Page then switched to mixed martial arts. Kickboxing’s limited earnings played a part in that decision, but so was his desire to keep learning new skills – something MMA offered.
“You have to learn jujitsu, you have to learn wrestling, there’s so much extra things I’d have to learn. Even the style of kickboxing is different,” Page said.
He initially was set on moving to Miami to train, but a last-minute visit to London Shootfighters changed his mind.
London Shootfighters has earned a reputation for regularly producing top-level combat sports competitors, and Page could tell instantly that it was the place for him.
“From being taught very well from a young age, I can hear sense. Even if I went to a football club, I can tell when a coach knows how to coach. When I got there, I could tell that the guys talking really know how to coach,” said Page of London Shootfighters and its reputation of regularly producing top-level competitors.
“I fell in love with it. Fell in love with the coaches, their knowledge, how intense they were because I was really game to go and be the best.”

‘Showman’

With his background in kickboxing, Page’s MMA style of fighting has incorporated elements from other disciplines, all resulting in his unorthodox technique.
Unlike many of his rivals, Page will fight with his arms down by his side, prioritizing keeping his distance and launching devasting strikes from afar.
He says his unique style is akin to that of the Looney Tunes’ ‘Tasmanian Devil’ or the video game character ‘Crash Bandicoot.’
“There’s a lot of crazy stuff that happens. It’s visually entertaining because it’s not the normal. I don’t just walk in a straight line. I have to do things extremely differently.”
Page takes on Logan Storley in 2022. Zac Goodwin/Press Association/AP
Page describes himself as a “showman.” He can be seen seemingly taunting his opponents mid-fight, rolling his shoulders similar to a dance move and fighting with a broad smile on his face. Page has watched some of his dad’s old fights and he recognizes that showman streak in his father as well.
That “showman” element acknowledges to his upbringing on the road as well as his Caribbean culture.
Such is his dedication to his ostentatious persona, Page used to study Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and how he delivered his lines during his WWE heyday while also writing down lines to save for later, all in order to build his brand.
Page’s showmanship feeds into his MMA ‘Venom’ moniker, which is a nod to the force of his punch, despite his slight frame.
His flying knee knockout of Evangelista Santos in 2016 only added to his nickname: Michael ‘Venom’ Page – or more simply, ‘MVP.’

Polarizing

However, Page’s distinctive style isn’t for all in the fighting community. While some praise its flair, others have critiqued its effectiveness and longevity.
Page has also received flak for his lackadaisical nature and flamboyant movements seemingly taunting and goading opponents.
His flowing, almost rhythmical movements in the ring can often seem a jarring juxtaposition to his counterparts’ more surgical style.
“When I’m expressing myself like that, I am at my most comfortable,” says Page. “Now having somebody throw punches and kicks and try and take off your head and choke you out and say that you’re comfortable in front of them is a difficult thing to achieve. So I have to do as many things as I can to relax myself.
Page has taken inspiration from 'The Rock' when it comes to building his 'MVP' brand. Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire/AP
“Dancing, I love. Music – it’s almost like I could hear music in my head, but the crowd is my music. So all of those things just keep me nice and calm. And fighting in a high intensity situation, being calm allows you to see so much more than trying to match the energy of what’s going on around you.”
The negative comments he’s received over the years – he describes the chatter after his debut fight as 98% negative – for his style have previously bothered him, but now he’s come to appreciate just having people talk about him.
“The good thing about that: it means more people are talking about it because there’s a conversation to be had. If everybody’s on the same side, then it’s not much of a conversation,” Page tells CNN.

Title fight?

Through his success in the ring, Page rose through Bellator’s welterweight division. And after leaving the championship last year, he signed with the UFC in free agency where he’ll make his welterweight debut against Holland in Miami.
Page explains his training has been “extremely painful” for his fight with Holland, although he stresses that he won’t change much from what’s worked before.
He will join a division whose titleholder is fellow Briton Leon Edwards.
Although it remains a long way off at this point, a potential title fight between two British fighters in the UK is an ambition for Page.
“So there’s certain times where I do turn to look out for the outside and everybody else that’s watching. And I don’t think it’s happened before, two UK fighters fighting for a UFC title,” said Page.
“Regardless of the win, the belt stays in the UK, which is great for the UK, but also I think both me and him can build such a crowd and such an excitement for that fight that we could do it in a stadium, which I’d love to do.”
Michael ‘Venom’ Page takes on Kevin Holland on March 9, 2024, live on TNT Sports at UFC 299: O’Malley vs. Vera 2. TNT Sports (formerly known as Turner Sports and briefly as Warner Bros. Discovery Sports) is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), which also owns CNN.