Francis Ngannou’s boxing star dimmed by Antony Joshua in a cold knock-out to the canvas.

With a devastating second-round finish, Anthony Joshua stopped Francis Ngannou to end any chance of a stunning upset and moved closer to becoming a three-time world champion on Friday.

In the first round, Joshua took down a stunned Ngannou with a strong right hand. In the second, he knocked down the former UFC heavyweight champion twice, leaving Ngannou unconscious.

 After dominating victories over Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin, Joshua's quest for a second world title opportunity was rekindled by the most devastating knockout of his career.

 Nigerian born Francis Ngannou on the canvas after being knocked out by Antony Joshua during their fight yeaterday in Saudi Arabia. Photo Courtesy.

Victory is now anticipated to open up a shot at the undisputed heavyweight championship winner between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.

The potential prize had been heavily mentioned throughout the build-up in Saudi Arabia.

 Following the battle, Joshua remarked, "When I saw the fight with Fury, I thought damn, this guy could fight, I wanted a piece of that."

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Amidst all the pomp and circumstance this week, Joshua remained laser-focused, and he used that same mentality to execute a knockout masterclass that gave Ngannou a brutal introduction to the real heavyweight boxing world. 

Arriving on the heels of an incredible October debut performance against Fury, Ngannou earned another lucrative day in the ring with his stunning third-round knockdown loss to the WBC champion.

Joshua was tired of more drama as 4 a.m. Saudi Arabian time drew near.

In the opening exchanges, the former unified world champion showed off his faster pace by setting the tone by dropping Ngannou to the canvas with a hard right hand and establishing his dominance with feints that the MMA convert was unable to decipher.

Joshua then punished Ngannou's southpaw stance in the second with a crashing right fist to put his opponent down again, before crowning the job seconds later with another shuddering right to leave his man out cold and in need of treatment on the canvas.