Well, this was how it was always supposed to go. A UFC heavyweight champion leaves MMA for boxing and begins his career in the sweet science by fighting the best in the sport? He’s supposed to get smoked, naturally. No one gets to beat a former heavyweight champ in his very first pro boxing match.
Except Ngannou almost did when he came within one point on one scorecard of beating Tyson Fury late last year. This raised expectations. Maybe a little too much, in retrospect. But then, so much becomes clear in retrospect.
Early Saturday morning in Saudi Arabia (also known as early Friday evening in North America), Anthony Joshua did to Ngannou what Fury was expected to do and didn’t.