- Francis Ngannou didn’t have any excuse for his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua
- “The Predator” hinted at returning to MMA next but clarified that he is not done with boxing
Francis Ngannou remains optimistic about his future despite suffering a devastating knockout loss to Anthony Joshua.
Anthony Joshua’s KO of Francis Ngannou in the 2nd. What a performance from AJ tonight and over the past 11 months. pic.twitter.com/YHtWZSViNz
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 9, 2024
Francis was all smiles
Speaking to the media in his post-fight presser, “The Predator” acknowledged the fact that Joshua was the better fighter during their showdown. Ngannou also accepted his defeat and did not come up with any excuse.
“[Joshua] was quite special because he stopped me,” Ngannou told reporters. “He did what Tyson couldn’t done. It wasn’t my day and he was just way better than me today. It sucks but it’s the game.”
“In fact, I didn’t feel the punch. I think that’s what a knockout is about. I don’t feel any pain. That’s how I know I was knocked out,” he added.
What’s next for Francis
Joshua only needed less than two rounds to finish Ngannou. Everybody, including the former UFC heavyweight champion thinks everything happened so fast and now, Ngannou said he wants to take some time to process it.
According to Ngannou, he might shift his focus on MMA but that doesn’t mean he is done with boxing.
“As for right now, I’m gonna go home, get some rest, process what just happened. This has been a hell of a day. I’ll process it and see what’s the next step. Maybe MMA but you can be sure I’m not done here,” Ngannou pointed out.
As it stands, Ngannou has gone 0-2 in boxing against two of the best heavyweight boxers in the world. He has yet to make his PFL debut but judging by how things appear to be at this point, “The Predator” is likely to make his MMA return in his next fight.
On the other hand, the KO win saw Joshua winning all four of his bouts since losing his titles to Oleksandr Usyk in 2022.
Watch Ngannou and Joshua’s full presser below:
