“I’m not done” – Ngannou on Joshua’s knockout win
British Nigerian champion, Anthony Joshua produced a fantastic display of pure power to knock out former Cameroonian MMA fighter Francis Ngannou in just the second round of their heavyweight clash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ngannou stunned the world when he floored Tyson Fury in October before losing a controversial split decision and was looking for similar against former two-time world champion Joshua.
The Cameroonian started well and threatened with the left hook before partially landing a looping right but he was stunned by a straight right from Joshua that sent him to the canvas in a dramatic opening round.
Both men came out swinging in the second. Joshua ducked under a jab to find a home for another strong right before the same shot floored Ngannou for the second time.
The former UFC champion returned to his feet and carried on but Joshua ended the contest in incredible fashion, marching forward and unleashing a right hand that knocked Ngannou out cold.
It was a fourth successive win for AJ following back-to-back losses and set up a potential future showdown with the winner of May’s unification bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Fury.
Asked what’s behind his recent improvement, Joshua told DAZN: “The Ben Davison performance centre. I appreciate all the guys I’ve worked with and that have shaped me. I’m still learning, I’m still pushing, I’m just hungry. I’ll speak to my team but I’m just here to fight. Whatever they want me to do I’m down for whatever.”
Asked if he hoped that was either Usyk or Fury for all the belts, he added: “Yes it is.”
“I’m not done”
Francis Ngannou still plans to pursue his boxing ambitions, even though he was beaten by Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia. The MMA fighter took on his second heavyweight bout in four months after suffering a narrow defeat to Tyson Fury in 10 rounds.
Despite his bleak-looking record early on, Ngannou has no plans to return to MMA full-time.
“You can be sure I’m not done here,” Ngannou told the media after his defeat to Joshua. “It wasn’t my day. He was way better than me today. It sucks but it’s the game. We all know that.”
The 37-year-old left the UFC last year to pursue boxing and featured in two of the biggest heavyweight fights in 2023 and 2024 against Fury and Joshua respectively.
Ahead of his bout with Joshua, Ngannou put pen to paper on a deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), the rivals of UFC.
Ngannou is set to fight PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira later this year, with part of his deal meaning he has the flexibility to continue his boxing ambitions outside of MMA.
However, punters are more likely to see Ngannou make his long-awaited return to the Octagon – where he last fought in January 2022.
Source: Eurosports
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