Francis Ngannou has no plans to quit boxing despite Anthony Joshua humbling - ‘I’m not done’

Francis Ngannou insisted he was “not done” with boxing following a humbling second-round defeat to Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua delivered a stunning knockout in a dominant showing to hand Ngannou his second heavyweight boxing defeat in as many fights.

The MMA fighter has no plans to step away from boxing and return to the Octagon permanently.

"You can be sure I'm not done here,” Ngannou told the media after his defeat to Joshua. “It wasn't my day. He was way better than me today.

"It sucks but it's the game. We all know that."

Although Ngannou took WBC champion Tyson Fury 10 rounds before he was narrowly beaten four months ago, he was no match for Joshua who swiftly got the job done in a one-sided encounter.

The Cameroon fighter, who made a name for himself in the UFC, was full of praise for his British opponent, labelling him “special”.

"[Joshua] was quite special because he stopped me," said Ngannou. "He did what Tyson couldn't do.

"In fact, I didn't feel the punch. I think that's what a knockout is about. I don't feel any pain. That's how I know I was knocked out."

The 37-year-old left the UFC last year to pursue boxing and featured in two of the biggest heavyweight fights in 2023 and 2024 against Fury and Joshua respectively.

Ahead of his bout with Joshua, Ngannou put pen to paper on a deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), the rivals of UFC.

Ngannou is set to fight PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira later this year, with part of his deal meaning he has the flexibility to continue his boxing ambitions outside of MMA.

However, punters are more likely to see Ngannou make his long-awaited return to the Octagon - where he last fought in January 2022.

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