Francis Ngannou has revealed that he was not feeling quite right before his bout with Anthony Joshua, noting that he felt unusually sleepy while warming up in the locker room.
Ngannou, a 37-year-old former UFC heavyweight title holder, was knocked out by Joshua’s powerful right hand in the second round in a big-money fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday, March 8.
In a video shared on social media, the Cameroonian took the blame for his poor performance, noting that it’s part of the game and that he was always prepared for such outcomes.
“I remember being in the locker room trying to warm up, and I was feeling asleep,” Ngannou revealed in a video shared on social media. ” I’m sweating but I’m feeling asleep.”
He refrained from making excuses, acknowledging that although there may have been factors like time difference, he takes full responsibility for his performance.
“No blame to anybody, all the blame here is just about me,” Ngannou said. “It’s the game, walking into that. We all knew it could happen, I wasn’t seeing it happen like that but I always knew it could happen so I was always prepared for that.”
Ngannou assured his fans that he’s far from finished and plans to take some time off to spend with his family and friends before returning to training and preparing for his next challenge. He emphasized that he’s just getting started and looks forward to what lies ahead in his career.
“I just want to let you guys know that it’s not over yet,” Ngannou added. “We are just getting started. The only thing we will miss here is time, and I think we have a good amount of time ahead of us.
” I will take some time for myself. Spend some time with my family and my friends and then come back ready. Get back to training and prepare for another challenge because that’s what we do. That’s why we’re here.”
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