Two pro fights in the ring, one proving to be a close, pretty much ‘it shocked the world’ moment, the other seeing the fledgling practitioner of the Sweet Science end up being the fall guy that featured in a nasty highlight reel knockout that seems destined to enjoy multiple reviews.
This is the CV, the ring CV, that currently belongs to Francis Ngannou. The 37 year old former UFC heavyweight champ came a cropper last night in Saudi Arabia, this as Anthony Joshua paid Ngannou the full respect Tyson Fury never did, with AJ fully focused and ready for whatever Ngannou might bring. And it was brutal efficiency from the far more experienced heavyweight boxer. A good many of us felt going in that Ngannou might give Joshua real problems, that or maybe even defeat him. It was Fury’s tough night experience with Ngannou that largely put this idea in our heads.
But now that he has been the victim of an out cold KO in boxing, what will Ngannou do next? Fans are wondering, is Ngannou’s boxing dream now over? Has the man-mountain who has been such an inspiration to so many gone as far as he can go inside the squared circle?
The answer, to some, is an obvious one – Ngannou should take a running jump right back to MMA, where he can still excel. But Ngannou may still have some ambition as far as seeing what he can do in boxing.
Speaking after being knocked flat in the second round by an all-business, ruthless AJ, Ngannou said the following:
“You can be sure I’m not done here. It wasn’t my day. He was way better than me.”
That Joshua was, the way we all strongly felt Fury would have been back in October. And to repeat, Ngannou was the victim of one nasty, hellacious knockout. Having signed a deal with PFL last May, and with Ngannou seemingly having an obvious dance partner in the form of Renan Ferreira, the path the MMA star turned boxing sensation should take seems an obvious one. But Ngannou says “you can be sure that I’m not done here,” with Ngannou referring to the boxing ring.
Maybe, after he has had time to think, and after he has watched tape of what AJ did to him (if he can stand it), Ngannou will have a rethink, with him deciding his smartest move is to get back to kicking ass in MMA. But maybe not. With Ngannou, we are not dealing with an ordinary fellow. Ngannou might still believe he can chop down some big-name heavyweight boxers.
Again, only time will tell. And Ngannou has earned the right to do exactly what he wants to do.
But the following boxing fights would still be big, with the intrigue, the potential fan interest, along with potential ticket sales and pay-per-view buys, proving significant. Maybe Ngannou has not laced on his last pair of boxing gloves just yet.
Ngannou Vs. Deontay Wilder.
You absolutely know you would watch this if it happened!
Ngannou Vs. Tyson Fury rematch.
Ditto.
Ngannou Vs. Dillian Whyte.
For sure, we’d pay to see it go down.
Ngannou Vs. Derek Chisora.
Even after all that has happened to both warriors, this would sell.
Agree or disagree?
