Boxing
Nigerians blast critics over claims Anthony Joshua, Ngannou fight was ‘staged’
Nigerians have berated critics for asserting that Anthony Joshua’s knockout victory over Francis Ngannou was staged.
Chronicle NG reports that Anthony Joshua knocked Francis Ngannou out in the second round of their bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to rekindle talks of a fight against Tyson Fury.
Joshua worked Ngannou through the first round before landing a punch that sent him down to send the fans into a frenzy.
It was much the same in the second round. Ngannou threw a punch at Joshua, but he did not connect well as Joshua punched him in the same breath, flooring Ngannou yet again.
It was much the same in the second round. Ngannou threw a punch at Joshua, but he did not connect well as Joshua punched him in the same breath, flooring Ngannou yet again.
As the former MMA star rose to his feet, Anthony Joshua attacked him again, and the referee called the match.
However, certain quarters alleged that the victory was staged, a claim that has infuriated Nigerians.
Anthony Joshua knocked Francis Ngannou out in the second round of their bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to send the…
Responding to the allegations, Temilehin on X stated that “anyone that calls Anthony Joshua’s win over Ngannou ‘staged’ is a fool.
“He got knocked down three times in a minute, and you could see that the wind was knocked out of him.
“They had to pump him with oxygen. You are weaklings that will never have the balls to get in the ring.”
For Eleph Child, he stated that while many expected Francis to upset Anthony Joshua, he proved critics wrong with his heavy punches.
He vehemently berated critics for taking Joshua for a “joke”.
“When Francis punished Tyson Fury, you saw his power punch, and you realized Fury is just a bum. But now that AJ is winning, you say it was staged (was the punch staged too?).
“Why would you stage a match and end it so early? Don’t you think they would have pretended for some time? Do you even have eyes to see clearly?
“Do you even have two active ears, or do you have a problem listening? This shows you know nothing about boxing.
“Maybe you should receive the punch and see if you’ll not die. So you guys think AJ is a joke? This is not his first time knocking people clean.
“Francis is powerful (no doubt, I love him), but an MMA fighter wins under MMA rules and a boxer wins under boxing rules,” Eleph stated.
For Daoptimist, he said, “AJ knocked him out cold. If you say this was staged, then you have a problem listening. Those punches sound too real to be faked.”
Describing critics as “dumb,” Winco stated, “You’re dumb if you think that fight was staged. You could see the annoyance and disrespect on Anthony Joshua’s face. He wasn’t having it at all.”
Calling his critics “hypocrites,” Dave noted that the heavyweight boxer won the match squarely.
“Anthony Joshua won, and people are saying the match was staged. When he lost all his belts, you all said he should quit boxing. Now he won against Francis Ngannou. Everyone remembers there is something called match staging. Hypocrites,” Dave said.
In his reaction, Daniel Regha, a social media influencer, noted that it is hard to say if the match was staged or not.
“Anthony Joshua won, but people shouldn’t forget that Ngannou isn’t a professional boxer; Ngannou didn’t work his way up. AJ also had experience and a height advantage, which are both important in boxing.
“Whether or not the match was staged, no one can tell; however, this fight was not as intense as expected, and AJ’s victory doesn’t guarantee he’s fully back or ready to face tougher opponents. Congratulations to him, by the way,” Regha said.
