Joshua knocked out his opponent in the first round and then delivered two more shots to finish the fight in the second, putting on a boxing masterpiece.

UFC fighter McGregor responded to Joshua’s social media post by saying, “Nah man, madness.”

After the fight, a rejuvenated AJ said: “When I saw the fight with Fury, I thought damn, this guy could fight, I wanted a piece of that.

“He’s an inspiration, a great champion, and this shouldn’t take away from his capabilities. He can come again. I told him he shouldn’t leave boxing. He’s two fights in, and he’s fought the best.”

He added: “He can go a long way if he stays dedicated.”

Despite two defeats to start his boxing career, Ngannou said he is not going to give up on the sport, saying: “You can be sure I’m not done here. It wasn’t my day. He was way better than me today.

“It sucks but it’s the game. We all know that. [Joshua] was quite special because he stopped me. He did what Tyson couldn’t do.”

He continued: “In fact, I didn’t feel the punch. I think that’s what a knockout is about. I don’t feel any pain. That’s how I know I was knocked out.”

Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn claimed that the Brit is the best heavyweight in the world.

He said: “If we won this fight then he would fight the winner of Fury v Usyk. You’re looking at the number one heavyweight in the world.

“Tyson Fury please beat Usyk because you will get the biggest fight in the history of the sport. As a fighter, he’s an inspiration to young people.

“What I said would happen, happened. He destroyed Francis Ngannou. He’s a beast and I cannot wait for him to beat Tyson Fury.”