Francis Ngannou issues statement after shocking KO loss against Anthony Joshua: ‘I let you all down’
Francis Ngannou had a bad night at the office.
After delivering a critically acclaimed performance against Tyson Fury in his professional boxing debut last October, Ngannou felt as confident as ever going into Friday’s showdown with the WBC’s top-ranked contender, Anthony Joshua.
While Ngannou looked good in the opening minutes, Joshua didn’t take long to take over, planting ‘The Predator’ on the mat before the end of the first round with a solid straight right. Ngannou got back to his feet and made it to the second round where Joshua sat him down again with a repeat right hand. Ngannou again answered the referee’s count, but this time, Joshua had no intention of letting him off the hook. Joshua immediately moved in, blasting the Cameroonian with a booming right hook that immediately rendered Ngannou unconscious.
Sorry guys I let you all down,” Ngannou wrote on X following the devastating defeat. “Today was a bad day in the office but tomorrow will be another day. Thank you all for the love.”
Francis Ngannou expected to follow up his loss to Anthony Joshua with PFL debut
With the loss, Francis Ngannou fell to 0-2 in his pro boxing career, though that’s certainly nothing to be ashamed of considering the losses have come against two of the toughest heavyweights in the world.
Anthony Joshua improved to 28-3 with three straight finishes and will likely find himself fighting the winner of May’s unified heavyweight world title tilt between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Chances are, Ngannou’s boxing experiment is far from over, but for now, ‘The Predator’ will turn his attention back toward MMA for his long-awaited PFL debut. Expected to meet him inside the Smart Cage is the 2023 heavyweight tournament winner, Renan Ferreira.
‘Problema’ only needed 21 seconds to put away Bellator MMA heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in the PFL vs. Bellator main event last month, guaranteeing himself a fight with ‘The Predator’ later this year.
