The story of Francis Ngannou is straight out of a movie, truly adding weight to the saying “Nothing is impossible.” Growing up homeless and working as a child in the sand mines of Cameroon under scorching heat, Ngannou turned his life around by finding MMA when he had nothing, eventually becoming the UFC heavyweight champion of the world.
However, that was not the end of Ngannou’s story. He entered the next phase of his career as he left the UFC and found himself securing a mega boxing bout against the great Tyson Fury. With everyone counting him out, Ngannou gave Fury the toughest fight of his career in only his first boxing bout. His masterful performance ultimately led him to Anthony Joshua, whom he faced in his last outing.
Francis Ngannou ‘not done’ with combat yet
After the fight against Fury, the whole narrative about Ngannou suddenly changed, and fans started to rally behind him more. With the fight against Joshua being announced, critics actually gave Ngannou a serious shot at winning, unlike before, as everyone assumed him to be a natural at boxing.
The buzz was intense throughout the entire buildup and especially fight week, with predictions favoring both fighters on an even scale. But as soon as the bell rang for their clash to unfold, Joshua shattered all the anticipation of fans by folding Ngannou in half in only the 2nd round. After suffering two knockdowns, Joshua landed a brutal right to knock Francis out cold.
After the fight ended, Ngannou stood up and handled his devastating loss like the true champion he is. Joshua and Ngannou seemed to be conversating after their bout, where Joshua requested Francis to “not quit boxing.” When Francis was asked about his future in the sport in the post-fight interview, Ngannou gladly claimed that he is far from over.
Ngannou laid his future plans, stating that a return to MMA is on the horizon as he signed with the PFL in 2023 before venturing into boxing. However, the Cameroonian legend seems stern on getting his redemption inside the ring.
Anthony Joshua offers strong words for Francis Ngannou
Anthony Joshua, being an absolute class act as he’s always been, was not seen to be celebrating his win over Ngannou in even the slightest in the ring as the British boxer knew how tough of a test it was for a mixed martial arts athlete to accomplish this much in boxing, that too so early on.
In his post-fight press conference, AJ and his team clapped in respect as Ngannou arrived to the stage. Upon his arrival, Joshua obliged his opponent to hold his head high and gave him invaluable encouragement, saying, “Don’t let this discourage you. Don’t let success get to your head, and you should never let failures get to your heart.”
Although coming off a loss, Francis Ngannou deserves all the praise in the world for always going against what everyone has said and paving his own path to greatness.
