New footage shows Anthony Joshua practising exact punch that knocked out Francis Ngannou

‘AJ’ dropped the ex-UFC champion three times with a right cross, and while the punch is common, the Briton’s conviction in the strike stood out

New footage has shown Anthony Joshua practising the exact punch that knocked out Francis Ngannou last week, when the Briton ran through the ex-UFC heavyweight champion in Saudi Arabia.

“AJ” dropped Ngannou three times on Friday (8 March), with the final knockdown leaving the Cameroonian out cold on the canvas.

Each knockdown came courtesy of a right cross from Joshua, 34, and Dazn has now shared footage of the former two-time unified champion practising that punch in his locker room before the fight.

While the punch is a common one, Joshua’s conviction in the strike stood out in the ring, and that same execution is visible in the backstage video of AJ’s warm-up.

Joshua’s second-round stoppage of Ngannou, 37, made it four wins in a row for the Briton, who outpointed Jermaine Franklin in April before stopping Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin in August and December respectively.

Before those wins, Joshua suffered back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk, who will box WBC champion Tyson Fury in Riyadh on 18 May. The victor of that bout will be crowned the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years.

Joshua may be in line to face the winner, although Fury has claimed that a rematch clause will see him box Usyk twice in 2024. A rematch between Fury and the Ukrainian would leave the IBF title vacant, and in such a scenario, Joshua could fight Filip Hrgovic for that belt.

Ngannou has only boxed twice, having made his debut in the sport against Fury in October. The Cameroonian dropped the Briton before losing a controversial decision.

Ngannou left the UFC in early 2023 before signing with the Professional Fighters League, with whom he is expected to resume his mixed martial arts career this year. The “Predator” last fought in MMA in January 2022, retaining the UFC heavyweight title, which he later vacated upon leaving the promotion.