Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou admitted he didn’t feel right leading up to his boxing match against Anthony Joshua, but refused to make excuses for his loss, commending Joshua and his team for their performance.
Francis Ngannou wasn’t feeling his best before his bout with Anthony Joshua. Still, he’s not one to make excuses for his defeat.
In his second professional boxing match, the ex-UFC heavyweight champ didn’t find the same success as his close loss to Tyson Fury. He was knocked down in the first round and again in the second.
The fight ended shortly after Ngannou got back on his feet. Joshua landed a massive overhand right, knocking him out dramatically. Ngannou knew a knockout was possible, but he didn’t see it coming like that.
“We all knew it could happen,” Ngannou admitted during an Instagram Live session. “I didn’t see it happening like that, but I knew it was a possibility. I was prepared for it.”
Before the fight, Ngannou felt off while warming up backstage. He reckons his past opponents probably felt the same against him. That’s why he’s not downplaying Joshua’s performance.
“I remember trying to warm up in the locker room, and it wasn’t going,” Ngannou confessed. “I was falling asleep. I was sweating, but I was falling asleep.”
He assumed that’s how some of his past opponents felt before their fights. It was his first time experiencing that feeling. He took a few days off to reflect on the fight.
Ngannou didn’t mention the fight’s timing. The event in Saudi Arabia lasted several hours, with the main event happening after 3 a.m. local time.
Maybe that affected how Ngannou felt during his warm-up. But he didn’t want to detract from Joshua’s win. He didn’t blame his coaches or teammates either. He believes everyone did their job that night, except him.
“Heads up to Anthony Joshua, to his team, they executed their plan properly,” Ngannou said. “Hats off to my team, too, they did a great job. I think I was the one that didn’t execute the plan properly. I was the only one that didn’t show up.”
After the fight, Ngannou didn’t have any lingering effects from the knockout. He’s seen doctors and has an appointment with a neurologist. But he’s not rushing to compete again.
Ngannou wants to decompress after a busy few months. He fought Fury for 10 rounds in October and then prepared for Joshua in March.
“I was conscious right after [the knockout], and everything’s been good since then,” Ngannou explained. “Still going to run some medical work, just in case.”
He’s not sure about his next fight. He plans to rest, focus on himself, and then return to training.
“Right now, I don’t know exactly what the fight I will be looking for next. I know that I’m going to take some time to rest up, focus on myself, and then when I’m ready I will get back to training. Therefore we can start to discuss the fights. As for now, we will just live the life. Because always remember, it doesn’t matter what is your profession, there’s always a life, we have a life going on that will continue to go.”
Despite his recent loss, Ngannou insists he’s not done with boxing. He plans to compete in the PFL. But he can’t say for certain what’s next. He knows there are plenty of challenges to conquer across both sports.
“I’m not done with boxing, I’m not done with MMA,” Ngannou said. “Basically right now, I have an opponent now in the PFL in Renan Ferreira. That will be my future opponent in the PFL, but again, I basically have a lot of fights in the future. I can still combine [sports], I will still be back in action. Not because I’m more comfortable in MMA that I will let boxing go. I’m still going to do both.”
He’s open to any potential opponents in boxing, including a potential showdown with fellow knockout artist Deontay Wilder. He’s not making any decisions yet, but he plans on staying busy once he’s ready to fight again.
“It’s not over yet – not at all,” Ngannou said. “We’re just getting started. The only thing that we will miss this year is time, and I think we have some good amount of time ahead of us. Going to take some time for myself, chill, spend time with my family, my friends and then come back ready.”