3 hours ago
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Francis Ngannou has yet to win in his professional boxing career
Francis Ngannou says he has no plans to give up boxing after suffering a heavy defeat to Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia.
The 37-year-old Ngannou has suffered two defeats in two boxing matches but has rejected suggestions of returning to MMA permanently.
“You can be sure I’m not done here yet. It wasn't my day. He was a lot better than me today,” Ngannou said.
“It sucks, but it’s the game. We all know that.”
The 34-year-old Briton Joshua put in a destructive performance against Ngannou, who beat WBC champion Tyson Fury in a narrow ten-round defeat four months ago.
Ngannou had never boxed professionally before, having built his fighting career in MMA with the UFC, where he was heavyweight champion.
The Cameroonian was full of praise for Joshua and it is the first time Ngannou has been knocked out in his MMA or boxing career.
“[Joshua] “It was really special because he stopped me,” Ngannou said. “He did what Tyson couldn’t.”
“In fact, I didn’t feel the blow. I think that's what a knockout is all about. I don't feel any pain. That’s how I know I was unconscious.”
What might Ngannou do next?
In just four months, Ngannou has fought two of the best heavyweight boxers in the world and taken part in two of the biggest fights of 2023 and 2024.
But a few weeks before his fight with Joshua, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) MMA promotion announced that he would fight his heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira later this year.
Ngannou left the UFC last year to pursue his boxing ambitions but signed with rival PFL last May.
Part of his contract with the PFL guaranteed him the freedom to box, but Ngannou will now likely make his long-awaited return to MMA rather than take part in another boxing match.
Ngannou has not fought in MMA since his last UFC fight in January 2022, when he defeated France's Ciryl Gane.
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