Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou’s second professional fight in boxing ended in the most brutal way possible. ‘The Predator’ was knocked out cold by Anthony Joshua in the second round of their fight. This comes a few months after Ngannou went 10 rounds with Tyson Fury and in the eyes of many, won the fight. However, this time around Ngannou was knocked down more than once before ultimately being put away by Joshua. Following the result, Ryan Garcia issued a warning to all MMA fighters looking to follow the footsteps of Francis Ngannou.
‘King’ took to Twitter to share his thoughts on MMA fighters crossing into the world of boxing. He said,
“Let this be A BIG WARNING to MMA fighters!! Stop coming to boxing it will only get worst. ITS more even if we just go to your sport! OVER! ONE PUNCH. Sending healing prayers to FRANCIS! Your bravery and guts should be commendable. CONGRATULATIONS Anthony Joshua.”
‘The Predator’ is widely regarded as one of the hardest punchers in combat sports right now. Unfortunately, that was not on display against Joshua. In the very first round itself, Joshua landed a punch that knocked Ngannou down.
This set the tone for the rest of the fight. In the second round, Joshua landed a right hand that dropped Ngannou. ‘The Predator’ beat the ten count to get back up. However, he was immediately met with a right hand that folded him like a lawn chair spelling the end of the fight. Joshua did to Ngannou in two rounds what Fury failed to do over the course of ten rounds. Well, after such a lackluster performance from Ngannou, Ryan Garcia’s threat to Sean O’Malley seems more legit.
A closer look at Ryan Garcia’s message for Sean O’Malley
‘King’ Ryan has been going back and forth with bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley over a potential fight. The 25-year-old challenged O’Malley to a fight in the octagon as he stated that in the boxing ring O’Malley would have no chance. Garcia even went so far as to contact Dana White about the same. However, he did not reveal what Dana White replied to his messages.
Ngannou’s loss further worsens the record of MMA fighters in the boxing ring. The likes of Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, and Francis Ngannou have all tried but failed to secure a win. This will not reduce the number of fighters wanting to cross over, however, it might have a huge impact on the number of people willing to watch it.
