Francis Ngannou opens up on devastating knockout loss to Anthony Joshua: “I wasn’t there anymore”

Francis Ngannou doesn’t remember anything past the first round of his boxing match with Anthony Joshua.

Earlier this month, ‘The Predator’ made his return to the boxing ring in Saudi Arabia. Back for the first time since a split-decision loss to Tyson Fury in October, Francis Ngannou faced Anthony Joshua. While some moral victories could be taken from the MMA fighter’s first crossover into the sport, his second bout had none.

With a minute remaining in the first, ‘AJ’ absolutely floored Francis Ngannou. While the PFL heavyweight fought on, he wound up being badly finished near the end of round two. With that victory, Anthony Joshua set himself up as the next challenger for the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk.

Speaking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Francis Ngannou opened up on the bout. There, the former UFC champion admitted that he was feeling off heading into the fight, given that it took place at 3 AM Saudi time. However, he added that it’s not the reason why he lost to Anthony Joshua.

However, Ngannou also added some details about the boxing match itself. There, the former UFC champion admitted that he didn’t remember anything beyond the first round of the bout. It’s easy to see why many online have speculated that the fight should’ve been stopped before the final knockdown.

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Francis Ngannou opens up on loss in boxing return to Anthony Joshua

“Emotionally, I’m good. It was a little weird, the only thing that bothers me is that I was never in that fight.” Francis Ngannou stated on The MMA Hour, reacting to his loss to Anthony 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. 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.”

He continued, “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.”

“I don’t remember when I came back from the stool to go back to the second round.” Francis Ngannou concluded. “…From the stool in between rounds, I wasn’t there anymore. Some days just aren’t your day.”

Despite Francis Ngannou’s lopsided loss to Anthony Joshua, he’s vowed to return to the boxing ring. However, he does have PFL obligations to deal with as well, including a showdown with Renan Ferreira.

What do you make of these comments? Did you watch Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou?