Sometimes, you fight so hard that even if you lose, you give your opponent and the fans something to remember. That was the case with former UFC and current PFL heavyweight champion’s pro-boxing debut. Despite losing, it was a moral victory for Francis Ngannou when he took on Tyson Fury by proving his naysayers, including Dana White, wrong. ‘The Predator’ even stated that he made more money in that one boxing match than he did while fighting under the UFC banner. But guess what? Ngannou was as nervous as anybody would be taking on a former world champion. However, it’s not for the reasons you’d assume.
The one key aspect of Francis Ngannou’s fighting ability is his raw power. He has recorded some of the most devastating knockouts, including his wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Stipe Miocic, which left the fight community speechless at those performances. However, in boxing, the former UFC champion was competing in a 12-rounder for the first time in his career, and that’s what led him to worry about using too much power in the early rounds so as not to gas out in the later rounds against ‘The Gypsy King’. As boxing fans may be aware, Fury is notorious for being able to recover during pivotal moments of a fight.
“I was just struggling, thinking round after round like how am I feeling? Am I good? One thing that I kept telling myself is like, ‘Don’t rush. Don’t go too much. You might get tired.’ That was my biggest concern,” Francis Ngannou stated on The Ring podcast. “I didn’t want to get tired before him. So, even the punches like [I told myself], ‘Don’t put power. Try to get speed and get most punches as possible, but don’t try to knock him out.’ Again, you’re fighting a guy who has seven lives, like a cat.”
Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou kick off press conference held at Here at Outernet Charing Cross Road London uk 7.9.2023 Editorial Use Only, Credit:Dean Fardell / Avalon PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUKxFRAxUSA Copyright: xDeanxFardellx/xAvalonx 0803631168
Fighting Tyson Fury, for many, wasn’t a wise choice, but Francis Ngannou wanted to take on the cream of the crop when he stepped into the boxing world. While he did go on to lose via decision and not via knockout, ‘The Predator’ was always looking to see if he can safely get past ‘The Gypsy King’ even though most fans wanted him to put Fury to sleep.
“We have all seen Tyson Fury reincarnated from death. That’s why, like, people say, ‘Oh. Why [didn’t] you knock him out [or] knock him down?… [I’m] like, ‘No, I know this guy can die and resuscitate [himself] again,’” Ngannou added.
Besides boxing, Francis Ngannou is also active in the MMA scene as his recent win over Renan Ferreira helped him re-establish his dominance in the sport. However, his next venture is probably going to be inside the squared circle once again.
Francis Ngannou’s next fight will be a boxing match
Before 2024 came to an end, reports came out that Francis Ngannou is more likely to make a return to boxing in 2025. This is especially because of the lack of viable MMA opponents for the Cameroonian-French star in the PFL, so, of course, boxing seems to be the way to go. After Ngannou doubled down that he was boxing next, the air was cleared about his next venture. Guess what? He could be set for a match against another high-profile boxer, Deontay Wilder since he’s very interested in that scrap.
“I will do boxing next. I want to. I’m not done with boxing. It’s not that MMA is easy, it’s the sport that I understand better and I have more experience in, but I say go for boxing,” Francis Ngannou told Sportsbook Review. “Maybe not in his past two fights, but Deontay Wilder is known as a guy that knocks everybody out or tries to knock you out. I’m going against that guy, and I myself can knock someone out.”
Well, it will be interesting to see if the fight against ‘The Bronze Bomber’ materializes for Francis Ngannou or if he finds a suitable MMA opponent to continue his dominance in the UFC’s rival promotion. What do you think? Will it be boxing or MMA? Let us know in the comments.
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