Canadian rapper Drake faced a significant loss of $615,000 after Anthony Joshua defeated Francis Ngannou in their highly anticipated heavyweight showdown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Joshua secured a brutal knockout against Ngannou in the second round of the ‘Knockout Chaos’ clash on Friday night.
Known for his penchant for placing massive bets on sporting events, Drake had earlier announced on Instagram that he was betting $615,000 on Ngannou to emerge victorious. Despite expressing confidence in Ngannou, Drake’s bet did not pay off as Joshua emerged triumphant.
This loss adds to Drake’s history of both wins and losses in betting, with the rapper gaining notoriety for the “Drake Curse.” Fans have often accused him of ‘cursing’ athletes and teams after being pictured with them.
The ‘curse’ has seemingly affected numerous athletes and teams, including quarterback Johny Manziel, UFC fighter Kamaru Usman, tennis star Serena Williams, and the entire Kentucky Wildcats basketball team.
In January, Drake lost over half-a-million pounds after incorrectly backing Sean Strickland to defend his UFC middleweight championship against Dricus Du Plessis. However, one of Drake’s biggest wins in 2023 came from betting on YouTube boxer Logan Paul to defeat Conor McGregor’s training partner Dillon Danis in their Misfits Boxing fight, earning him $1.3 million.
Prior to that, Drake missed out on a $920,000 payout when Nigerian-born Israel Adesanya lost his UFC middleweight title to Sean Strickland. Despite rooting for Adesanya, Strickland produced an upset victory to win on points.