Derek Chisora paid a heartfelt tribute to Francis Ngannou following his defeat by Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua floored the Cameroonian in the first round with a right hand to the chin then again early in the second with a right-left hook combination.

The former UFC champion got to his feet but was quickly put back down by a strong right hand, after which the referee put a stop to the contest.

Despite the defeat, Chisora paid his respect to Ngannou in the post fight press conference by branding him the ‘Superman of Africa’.

‘Francis, I’ve been doing loads of interviews and I came up with a nickname for you,’ said Chisora from the media section.

Anthony Joshua saw off Francis Ngannou in just two rounds with an explosive knockout

Derek Chisora nicknamed the former UFC champion the ‘Superman of Africa’ afterwards

‘I call you the Superman of Africa because the way you have come up in the game and everything you have done is amazing for us Africans.

‘So the best name for me to give to you is the Superman of Africa because most kids in Africa right now look up to you – and what you have achieved so far is unbelievable.’

While Ngannou may have lost his first two boxing fights, his story as one of combat sports biggest names will come as an inspiration to many.

The 37-year-old was willing to sacrifice it all to become a boxer. He left his country of birth Cameroon and family to do just that, ending up homeless in France with no money.

Despite wanting to be a boxer, Ngannou trained at the MMA Factory and made his debut in the sport in 2013 just three months after starting training. In early 2014 he had won his first heavyweight tournament, joining the UFC in 2015.

Ngannou’s journey has seen him go from being homeless to becoming a UFC champion

It was there he ran riot, securing six straight victories before losing his heavyweight championship opportunity against Stipe Miocic in 2018.

Re-climbing the division, however, he knocked out the very same man in 2021 to win the belt, defending it against Ciryl Gane and finding himself on top of the sport.

When his contract expired in January 2023, he was stripped of his title after the two parties failed to reach an agreement on a new deal, and he turned to boxing.