Francis Ngannou has no regrets about his combat with Anthony Joshua.
Earlier this month, Ngannou made his sophomore outing in skilled boxing, taking up Anthony Joshua in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was a catastrophe – he was brutally knocked out within the second spherical after getting dropped twice.
Within the aftermath, some urged the end result ought to have occurred when Ngannou confronted Tyson Fury in 2023 (when he almost pulled off probably the most inconceivable upsets in boxing historical past).
For his half, Ngannou chalks it as much as an uncharacteristically off evening, however wanting again, he’s OK with all the things, as a result of he is aware of he did all the things potential to set himself up for achievement.
“That is one factor that additionally helped me to be OK with it: so far as a coaching camp, I had my finest coaching camp,” Ngannou stated. “I used to be in my finest situation. The perfect. Even when we needed to begin this once more, I actually don’t see a factor that I ought to have finished completely different. We did a very good coaching camp in Riyadh and all the things was good, besides that combat day the place issues have been very odd.”
Whereas Ngannou could not have the ability to pin down precisely what occurred, others have been greater than prepared to supply ideas. Some urged it was proof Ngannou’s success in opposition to Tyson Fury was all the way down to Fury overlooking him and never Ngannou’s personal capacity.
Alongside these traces, Ngannou critics pointed to his choice to shift to southpaw within the first spherical, which in the end led to the primary knockdown, as an indication that “The Predator” was just too inexperienced within the face of an elite boxer. However Ngannou disagrees.
“I don’t have any regrets,” he stated. “Now that I misplaced the combat, we will say something that I’ve finished unsuitable. We labored on all the things, and all the things was OK. This was all my [choice]. Even in southpaw, my protection is extra sharp than orthodox. Within the southpaw, to take successful from the precise again hand, that is one thing that in sparring by no means occurred, and I’ve been there so many instances training.
“So I actually haven’t any regrets, as a result of that was our coaching and we improved all the things. I actually haven’t any regrets. We labored towards that, we made that call, and we stand by it. … With the identical southpaw, I believe we mainly received the combat in opposition to Tyson.”
Nonetheless, the loss modified views, and never only for Ngannou’s critics. Following the knockout, even some MMA luminaries urged Ngannou might lose to Joshua in an MMA combat, whereas others merely wished him to depart boxing.
For Ngannou, none of that issues. He’s going to proceed to pursue his passions and stays unconcerned with the opinion of others.
“It doesn’t trouble me,” he stated. “I believe I get to the purpose the place, now we have been right here so many instances speaking about drama, what folks suppose, what folks say, that I believe I’m on the level the place I don’t actually let what folks say have an effect on me. I don’t thoughts that a lot what folks say, as a result of they are going to at all times have one thing to say. However I additionally suppose this was precisely what was anticipated. I believe if I used to be handled unsuitable, all the things that occurred was simply to revive this, as a result of regardless, I form of disrespected the system slightly bit.”
