PFL fighter and pro boxer Francis Ngannou recently faced the tragic death of his 15-month-old son. Ngannou was distraught as he expressed his emotions on his social media accounts. The Cameroonian-French athlete previously mentioned how important it was for him to have kids.
Ngannou is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He defended his title against Ciryl Gane in January 2022 and left the Las Vegas-based promotion in January 2023. He turned to boxing and although he lost on his debut, he shocked the world with his impressive performance against one of the greatest heavyweight boxers, Tyson Fury.
Ngannou was scheduled to face Anthony Joshua in March 2024. Before that bout, he was involved in several interviews. During his appearance on the CLUB SHAY SHAY podcast, Ngannou expressed his wish to have children.
In the podcast clip that was released in December 2023, Ngannou said, “I remember when I left Cameroon, I wanted maybe to get married. I don’t know, but, what I what I wanted the most was to have kids because I wasn’t knowing where I was going. So, I wanted to leave a legacy behind, somebody that will remember me.”
Ngannou lost the bout against Joshua in a rather brutal manner but it was courageous to go up against two of the strongest heavyweight fighters in your first two bouts.
Francis Ngannou’s son met Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of his fight against Tyson Fury
Francis Ngannou and Cristiano Ronaldo first met in January 2023. The boxer was impressed by the soccer star’s personality. The Cameroonian was elated to know that Ronaldo had knowledge of him and watched his fights earlier. The two seemed to have hit it off and become friends.
Ronaldo has made Saudi Arabia his home since his move to Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. Ngannou also visits the country regularly as it is taking over the boxing world. Both of Ngannou’s fights were in Saudi Arabia and he met Ronaldo before his debut against Tyson Fury.
Cristiano Ronaldo with Francis Ngannou and his children ❤️🩹🫶
— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) October 25, 2023
A wholesome video of the pair’s encounter went viral at the time. Ngannou held his toddler son in his hand while Ronaldo held a little girl. The identity of the girl is unknown, it could be Ngannou’s daughter or a relative. Ngannou keeps the details about his family extremely private. It is unknown if the fighter has any other children.
Francis Ngannou announced the death of his 15-month-old son
Tragedy struck Francis Ngannou and his family as he announced the death of his son on X. Initially, in a cryptic tweet, Ngannou wrote, “What’s the purpose of life if what we’re fighting tooth and nail to get away from is what finally hit us the hardest!? Why is life so unfair and merciless? Why does life always take what we don’t have? I’m f*cking tired.”
What’s the purpose of life if what we’re fighting tooth and nail to get away from is what finally hit us the hardest!?
Why is life so unfair and merciless?
Why does life always take what we don’t have? I’m fucking tired— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) April 29, 2024
The first to report the news about the death of his son was the Cameroonian website 237online. Soon after the news broke, Ngannou confirmed it on his X account. Via an image, he paid tribute to his son and wrote, “01/13/2023 – 04/27/2024
“Too soon to leave but yet he’s gone. My little boy, my mate, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy. Now, he’s laying without life. I shouted his name over and over but he’s not responding. I was my best self next to him and now I have no clue of who I am. Life is so unfair to hit us where it hurts the most.
“How do you deal with such a thing? How can you live with it? Please help me if you have an idea because I really don’t know what to do and how to deal with this.”
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) April 29, 2024
Members from his team and several other combat sports stars including Conor McGregor expressed their condolences.