In uncharted territory, Francis Ngannou experienced three knockdowns in his early stoppage loss to Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia.
Apologizing to his fans, the former UFC heavyweight champion couldn’t replicate his previous success against Tyson Fury.
The bout unfolded on Friday night, where a promising start swiftly vanished as Ngannou faced three knockdowns in two rounds, culminating in a notably destructive stoppage.
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The result may have come as something of a reality check for Ngannou, who had stunned the world with his excellent performance on debut against Fury back in October, flooring and cutting the reigning WBC heavyweight champion before being controversially edged out on the scorecards.
Ngannou – who had never been sent down before in his career in professional combat sports – was knocked out cold by a vicious right hand from Joshua to finish a short-lived contest, leaving him plenty to ponder as he weighs up whether to stay in boxing or head back into the world of mixed martial arts having already signed a contract with the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Reacting to his emphatic defeat on social media, a disappointed Ngannou – who had been targeting a rematch with Fury and a possible future fight against Deontay Wilder – wrote: “Sorry guys, I let you all down. Today was a bad day in the office but tomorrow will be another day. Thank you all for the love.”
Joshua could be heard after Ngannou received oxygen and got back to his feet imploring his vanquished opponent not to allow such a setback to force him out of boxing, being called a “class act” by his impressed corner.
Asked what he had told Ngannou in his post-fight press conference, Joshua said: “I said don’t let this discourage you, don’t let success get to your head and you should never let failures get to your heart.
“I told him I think he’s an asset to boxing, he’s an asset to the fight game. Don’t be discouraged and I respect you regardless.
“I said it before, and I still stand on it. I know we had to fight, but what I say I mean. I just told him keep your head high and also, if he hears this, in Cameroon, I know he’s got his charity and his organisation, also people that are trying to make it from Africa over to different continents, people are struggling.
“I said I want to link up with him and see if we can do some good work for the African community as well.”
Asked how Ngannou took the advice after the heavy knockout, Joshua added: “He wasn’t fully aware of what I was saying, but his team took it on board.
“I think he took the part where I said keep your head high, don’t let this shade everything that you’ve been through and everything that’s yet to come in your career