The MMA fighter was unstoppable by Fury, who narrowly prevailed on points.

On Friday, Anthony Joshua stunned the boxing world by stopping Francis Ngannou in the second round in a knockout after two knockdowns in the first two rounds.

It was a major wake-up call for Ngannou, who had gone from mixed martial arts to boxing and had lost his first two fights against two of the top heavyweights in the history of the sport. Although some think it was an anomaly, the former UFC champion performed far better versus Tyson Fury.

Tyson Fury thinks Francis Ngannou got “too cocky”

Before the fight, Fury had mentioned that he thought Ngannou had gotten too cocky following their fight together. After the Joshua knockout, Fury spoke about the fight.

“It was a fantastic knockout. It was a very rude awakening for Ngannou. He got a little bit cocky… He got knocked out, and that’s what a boxer should do to an MMA fighter.”

Essentially, Fury is saying that Joshua did what he himself should have done in the first fight against Ngannou. Many people in the boxing industry, including Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, believe that Fury simply didn’t prepare well enough for the fight. He underestimated Ngannou in a sense.

Joshua may have exposed Ngannou. It could also be that Joshua is simply at the top of his game, and Fury could be on the decline. An undisputed title fight against Oleksandr Usyk in May will tell all.

As will a potential subsequent fight between Fury and Joshua.

Video:

I spy. pic.twitter.com/xBASRSkgGN

— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyjoshua) March 9, 2024