Mixed martial artist Francis Ngannou has admitted that he feels there is still something to claim in the world of boxing, despite his recent loss to Anthony Joshua.
The UFC heavyweight holder suffered his second boxing defeat when he was brutally knocked out by British heavyweight, Joshua.
Scheduled for an MMA bout against Renan Ferreira in the Professional Fighters League (PFL), Ngannou’s plans were thrown into uncertainty following his knockout loss to Joshua. However, during an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Ngannou discussed his future in combat sports.
When asked what he thinks will come next either MMA or Boxing, Ngannou answered: “Right now, I don’t know but I started to feel like boxing is now owing me something that I have to claim.” he admitted.
Reflecting on his defeat to Joshua, Ngannou admitted feeling owed something by the boxing world, suggesting that he needs to reclaim his respect and dignity in the sport.
“The way that this fight (Joshua fight) happened it’s not the way that it was supposed to or should’ve so I think now I need to do boxing to claim something, to claim my respect, to claim my dignity, to claim everything.
“It depends on the time frame of what’s happened. Maybe it could be MMA first but I don’t know,” he added.
When asked who he would like to face in just his third boxing fight, the 37-year-old named Tyson Fury, stated that there are ‘question marks’ there regarding their first meeting.
“I think Tyson Fury is still there, even on fight week he was always around teasing me, he was in places that I didn’t know what he was doing there, teasing me, there is a question mark there,” Ngannou said.
Although ‘The Predator’ hinted that it may be another boxing fight next, he still gets ‘excited’ about the potential return to MMA, because it is something he is ‘comfortable’ with.
“I still get excited about the idea of fighting in MMA. MMA now is like, not the easier one but it’s the one I’m used to. I know in any fight you can lose but at least in MMA there are a lot of things I understand and things I can control, unlike boxing which is the wild-west. It’s a little more comfortable, to be honest.” he explained.
Ngannou’s comments indicate his willingness to explore options in both boxing and MMA as he seeks to solidify his legacy in combat sports.
