Francis Ngannou reveals retirement timeline ahead of Anthony Joshua boxing match: “That’s where my mind is at”

PFL heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou only has a few more years of fighting left in him.

‘The Predator’ is currently slated to return to the ring this Friday night, in Saudi Arabia. There, Francis Ngannou will face former two-time heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua. The boxing match will be the second of the former UFC star’s career, making his ring debut against Tyson Fury last October.

That bout saw the MMA fighter floor ‘The Gpysy King’ in round three, as well as give him a small cut. Still, Fury emerged with a split-decision victory. In the process, avoiding one of the worst upsets in boxing history. However, the performance was impressive enough to land Francis Ngannou another high-profile fight.

This weekend’s bout is expected to earn Francis Ngannou upwards of $20 million. With that in mind, it’s understandable that the PFL heavyweight is beginning to look for the door. In a recent appearance on Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman’s Pound 4 Pound Podcast, Ngannou opened up on the subject of retirement.

Now, Francis Ngannou isn’t going to retire tomorrow, or anything like that. However, the heavyweight star did admit that the subject has been on his mind lately, and he doesn’t believe he’ll be around for long. In the interview, Ngannou stated that he planned to retire by the age of 40. The heavyweight added that when he’s done fighting, he’s fully done, as he’ll want to move on to other careers.

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PFL heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou opens up on the subject of retirement

“What do I want my legacy to be told? When I retire from fighting, it’s just the end of my combat sports career.” Francis Ngannou stated on a recent edition of Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman’s Pound 4 Pound Podcast. “I think I might retire around 40. I’m thinking about 40 years old, so in three or years from now. That’s where my mind is at.”

He continued, “At 40, I still have maybe half of my life to do a lot of things. Maybe I have to go back to school, learn something that I really want to do and then start a new career. I’m just cementing the place for the legacy, I’m not doing the legacy yet. It’s still going to be built, it’s going to be a very very big tower.”

What do you make of these comments from Francis Ngannou? Do you think he’ll defeat Anthony Joshua in his boxing return on Friday?