Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou's boxing dreams appear to be over. Ngannou was violently stopped by Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia last Friday. It took less than two rounds for the former unified heavyweight champion to call Ngannou out.
In an interesting moment in heavyweight history, this match took both men in vastly different directions. Joshua, a former two-time unified heavyweight champion, has tremendous momentum and seems like the obvious choice to fight for a world title, but that's easier said than done. Meanwhile, Ngannou is faced with a choice between competing less spectacularly in the boxing ring or returning to the mixed martial arts cage where he has become one of the sport's most popular fighters while climbing to the top of the mixed martial arts division. There is.
To truly understand what's next for Ngannou and Joshua, let's take a look at all the circumstances surrounding both of them and their respective fights.
Can't get enough of boxing and mixed martial arts? Get the latest in the world of martial arts from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Combat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell We bring you the best analysis and in-depth news.
Francis Ngannou
Unfortunately for Ngannou, the fight with Joshua was a cruel reality check. In Fury, he fought a man who seemed to be out of shape, but didn't view the former UFC champion as a serious threat. There was also a stylistic element, with Fury literally using his body weight to build bones by leaning on fighters in the clinch and tiring them out. In Ngannou, we found a man who knows more about the clinch than any boxer based on his mixed martial arts career.
Joshua is a pure boxer. He was a decorated amateur and world champion who relied on pure boxing and already knew what would happen if he didn't fight Ngannou seriously in the boxing ring. Joshua took advantage of Ngannou's inexperience and used his jab, which he used to feint and force Ngannou to open his right hand, knocking him down three times and ending with a brutal knockout.
Is Joshua interested in fighting someone below the elite level of the division? Joseph Parker has nearly neutralized two heavy hitters in Deontay Wilder and Jirayi Zhang actual boxer. Chan has issues with his cardio, and he's not necessarily a high-powered fighter, but he does have a ton of power and a steel chin. A fight between Ngannou and Wilder could be a fight, but Wilder barely landed any punches against Parker and didn't seem particularly motivated to get in the ring. Wilder is also one of the hardest pound-for-pound punchers in boxing history.
All of this means it's time for Francis Ngannou to return to mixed martial arts.
Ngannou is under contract with the PFL but has yet to fight in a cage. Renan Ferreira knocked out Ryan Bader in PFL vs. Bellator in February, and it was said that the winner would fight Ngannou. Had Ngannou defeated Joshua, that might not have been a possibility. Now, Ngannou needs something to get his momentum back, and a return to a sport where he's still considered the best heavyweight in the world certainly fits the bill.
anthony joshua
After losing back-to-back fights to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua was at a scary time in his career. A fight with Fury was always at the top of Joshua's list. It would be a huge fight for the sport, and an even bigger fight in the UK, but every time talk of that fight starts, it stalls. It goes without saying that the loss to Usyk completely destroyed Joshua's momentum and set up an undisputed championship match between Fury and Usyk.
Joshua did the right thing and returned to the ring, first defeating Jermaine Franklin and Robert Hellenius with rather subdued performances, then very well against Otto Wallin and Ngannou. Let's be honest, Joshua is still likely the number three heavyweight boxer on the planet, but his next step is somewhat unclear.
A lot of what happens next for Joshua will probably be what happens when Fury takes on Usyk in May. Both contracts include a rematch clause. If the loser of the fight chooses to trigger this clause, the IBF has already announced that it will disqualify the winner, without exception, who does not fight mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic.
If that happens, Joshua could potentially fight Hrgovic for the vacant IBF title. It will be a chance for Joshua to regain one of his two titles and become world champion for the third time.
If Usyk and Fury do not rematch, the winner could choose to take a mandatory title defense against Hrgovic to maintain his status as undisputed champion. Alternatively, he could choose to strip him of the IBF belt and perhaps take a more lucrative match against Joshua.
If Fury wins, he will stick to his previous statement that he would relinquish all his titles except the WBC title, potentially leading to a free-for-all situation in the heavyweight division between Parker, Joshua, Hrgovic and others. And all the other fighters will have their rightful claim in the world title fight.
Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn said Turki Alarcik has guaranteed the winner of the fight with Ngannou a challenge to the winner of Fury vs. Usyk. But Joshua already has two losses to Usyk, and one of Fury's favorite hobbies is trolling Joshua. So nothing is really guaranteed for Joshua and almost everything depends on what happens between Usyk and Fury in May and the following months.
