Francis Ngannou found himself in unfamiliar territory when he stepped into the boxing ring against Anthony Joshua, as his memory of the fight only stretched to the first round.
Returning to boxing for the first time since his split-decision defeat to Tyson Fury in October, the heavyweight MMA star faced a formidable challenge in Joshua in Saudi Arabia earlier this month. While Ngannou could draw some solace from his debut in the sport, his second foray yielded no such silver linings.
As the clock ticked down in the opening round, Anthony Joshua delivered a devastating blow that sent Ngannou crashing to the canvas. Though the PFL standout valiantly soldiered on, he ultimately succumbed to a punishing finish towards the end of the second round.
Joshua’s triumph not only marked a significant victory for him but also positioned him as the next contender for the victor between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Reflecting on the bout during an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Ngannou shed light on his state of mind heading into the fight. Admitting to feeling offbeat, especially given the fight’s timing at 3 AM local Saudi time, the former UFC champion clarified that this wasn’t the primary factor contributing to his defeat against Joshua.
However, Ngannou divulged further details about the bout itself, revealing a stark absence of recollection beyond the initial round. Many observers have since questioned whether the fight should have been halted before the final knockdown, given Ngannou’s apparent disorientation.
“It was a little weird, the only thing that bothers me is that I was never in that fight,” Ngannou expressed to The MMA Hour, reflecting on his loss to Joshua. “Like, it was weird. It was a weird day, it was a weird evening. I was tired, I was in the locker room for four and a half hours waiting and warming up… I felt like I was asleep. When the fight started, I was never there.”
He continued, recounting the moments of the bout: “Even in the first minute, when I got hit with the first punch, I was more surprised about the fact that I was falling down from that punch than the punch itself. Like, okay man… I took the first punch, I was awake but I didn’t really feel it and I sat down. I was being counted, like let’s take our time to get back up. Took my time, and everything was still a little blurry… My memory and my vision and everything just kept going. I never came back from the stool.”
Ngannou concluded with a candid admission: “I don’t remember when I came back from the stool to go back to the second round… From the stool in between rounds, I wasn’t there anymore. Some days just aren’t your day.”
Despite the one-sided loss to Joshua, Ngannou remains resolute in his intention to return to boxing. However, he acknowledges his obligations in the PFL, including an impending showdown with Renan Ferreira, which he must contend with alongside his aspirations in the boxing arena.
