Francis Ngannou was brutally knocked out by Anthony Joshua in just two rounds in Saudi Arabia.
The MMA star was making just his second professional boxing appearance having impressed in his debut against Tyson Fury in October.
Although he suffered defeat against ‘The Gypsy King’ Ngannou won the plaudits of fans having performed well above expectations only losing via a controversial split-decision to the WBC heavyweight champion.
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Sadly for Ngannou he was blitzed by ‘AJ’ and dropped twice before a huge right rendered him unconscious on the canvas.
Reflecting on the fight, the former UFC heavyweight champion admits it was like an out of body experience after he suffered the first knockdown in the opening round.
“Even the first time, I was quite surprised, like, ‘Damn, I can’t be falling from this punch,’” Ngannou said. “The punch was hard, but I don’t think it was the punch that usually would take me down.”
It didn’t take Joshua long to finish the fight and send Ngannou down and out.
“I think this is a knockout, this is a weird loss,” Ngannou said. “Something that I wouldn’t like to experience, but I think it will stay as a defeat only if I don’t learn from it and come back from it.
“Just life, you don’t make any excuse. That’s what we sign up for when you come to a sport like this. You always know that there is stuff like that, that could happen.
On his future he revealed that he may stick around in boxing.
He said: “What’s next for me? Maybe a third boxing match.”
“But I think now boxing owes me something now. I have to regain what boxing took from me.
“I think my ego will not let me step back and let this go like this without doing everything to restore and prove to the world that I’m the man for the job, I can do it. I slipped, but I didn’t fall. I stumbled, I didn’t fall.”
