Viewers were left stunned on Friday night when 2000s pop icon JoJo appeared out of nowhere to sing the national anthem at Madison Square Garden.
The world’s most famous arena played host to a huge night of women’s boxing, headlined by Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor’s trilogy bout, but there was some nostalgia on show for the fans before the fighting action.
As the main card got underway, the ring announcer brought in JoJo to sing the Star-Spangled Banner – and viewers were left scratching their eyes at the return of a singer more famous for her songs in the early 2000s.
The ‘Leave (Get Out)’ hitmaker produced a stunning rendition of the anthem that was widely applauded by fans as she showed off her vocal talents once again.
On X, one viewer wrote: ‘JoJo doing the national anthem right now! She still got it!’, while another added: ‘My millennial heart’.
A third said: ‘Is it… is that… JOJO???’
JoJo reappeared at Madison Square Garden to perform the national anthem on Friday night
Fans quickly took to social media to react to the surprise appearance at the famous arena
In the opening fight of the main card, Ellie Scotney (right) dominated Yamileth Mercado
The American singer and actress rose to fame in 2004 with her debut album and smash song Get Out, which topped the Billboard charts in the US and beyond.
A follow-up single, ‘Baby It’s You’, was certified gold, and by 2007 she had sold more than seven million records.
In the years since, she has appeared in movies and TV shows, and made her Broadway debut in 2023 in Moulin Rouge.
Shortly after JoJo’s performance in the ring at Madison Square Garden, British up-and-coming boxer Ellie Scotney got the night off to a flying start with a dominant victory to move to 11-0 for her professional career.
Katie TaylorAmanda Serrano
