Francis Ngannou suffered the unthinkable when he took on Anthony Joshua. Fighting in the main event of Knockout Chaos, Ngannou found himself out and unconscious on the canvas by Round 2. All things considered, it was not something many thought they would ever see.
For those unaware, Francis Ngannou was coming off a controversial decision loss to the lineal heavyweight champ, Tyson Fury. With it being his boxing debut, many were left shocked and amazed at how well the French-Cameroonian MMA athlete fought. Thus, there were similar expectations from him to deliver against Anthony Joshua as well.
The moment that @anthonyjoshua DESTROYED Francis Ngannou 🤯#JoshuaNgannou | #KnockoutChaos | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/ONl1rlhSlo
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) March 9, 2024
Although he is a former two-time heavyweight champion, there were a lot of doubts about AJ’s pedigree. Since his losses to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua has been as active as ever and claimed his fourth win in 12 months. Most importantly, he humanized Ngannou, making him look like a fish out of water. As such, the viral knockout sent shockwaves across the MMA and boxing community.
Chael Sonnen makes a bold claim about Francis Ngannou’s boxing career
For the most part, Francis Ngannou in his entire career had never been knocked down or knocked out so far. However, the former UFC heavyweight champion had made a habit of brutally knocking out his opponents inside the Octagon. Thereafter, the fact that he went toe to toe with Tyson Fury and arguably beat him, many, including his haters, considered him a tough nut to crack.
However, all that changed within two rounds after Anthony Joshua scored two knockdowns on him. As Chael Sonnen reveals, “The conversation yesterday was, ‘What is Francis Ngannou going to do next?’ Is he going to box after this or is he going to do MMA after this”. Further Chael continued, “Now today’s discussion is that he definitely will not box next, but he will never box again”.
At the same time, fans online have also suggested that Ngannou’s time as a boxer was over. Many drew conclusions that Fury’s arrogance and dismissiveness about ‘The Predator’ is likely what led to a poor performance against him. With that said, the general consensus would be that nobody wants to see Francis inside a boxing ring again.
Francis Ngannou gives an update on his future plans
Following the brutal KO loss, there was a moment of grave concern for Francis Ngannou as he took quite some time to get back to consciousness. Owing to a thundering right hand, Ngannou saw himself sent to the canvas similar to what he did to Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 in 2021. Despite needing an oxygen mask, many were glad to see that Francis was up and about, and even attended the press conference.
As for what comes next, there was a moment between Joshua and Ngannou where the Englishman gave his dejected opponent some much-needed encouragement. During this instance, Turki Alalshikh could also be seen telling Francis, “Tyson next.” Much like Chael Sonnen also mentioned, it could be in his contract to fight Fury a second time, irrespective of the outcome against Oleksandr Usyk.
In the post-fight press conference, Ngannou also shared his thoughts, “You know as for right now I’m gonna go home get some rest. Process what just happened. You know it’s been a hell of a day… But maybe MMA but you can be sure that I’m not done here.” Likely, the PFL marquee signing will make his decision and share it with the fans in the coming days.
In the meantime, many expect that he will likely return to MMA, and make his much anticipated PFL debut against Renan Ferreira. Owing to the Brazilian’s success last month, a showdown between the two has been agreed upon. However, many insist that if he is to return to boxing, he should get a relatively easier fight, like a Deontay Wilder first. If he intends to pursue Fury again, a win under his belt would surely help his case.