FRANCIS Ngannou told his fans he disappointed them but was still able to joke after he suffered a devastating knockout defeat to Anthony Joshua in their heavyweight boxing fight in Saudi Arabia overnight.
In only his second professional boxing fight, 37-year-old mixed martial arts fighter Ngannou was floored thrice by two-time world heavyweight boxing champion Joshua in Riyadh on the main card of the aptly named ‘Knockout Chaos’ event.
Although Ngannou had gone the distance in his boxing debut against World Boxing Council heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury, the difference in class was clear this time, with Joshua in control from the first minute until the second round knockout.
Cameroonian Ngannou, who had boasted that he would beat the 34-year-old Nigerian-Briton Joshua, took to social media to speak directly to his fans after the defeat.
“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,” wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Ngannou needed to be given medical attention in the ring after the powerful punch that knocked him out, and he was even given oxygen.
But he recovered well enough to joke about the knockout punch at the post-fight press conference.
“In fact I didn’t feel the punch,” the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion said and chuckled. “I think that’s what the knockout is about.
“I don’t feel any pain. That’s how I know I was knocked out.”
