'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Francis Ngannou suffered a brutal second-round knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in his second career boxing match earlier this month. While many have suggested that the former UFC heavyweight champion should retire from boxing, Tom Aspinall does not believe that should be the case.
Speaking to OLBG (via MMA Fighting), the interim heavyweight champion stated:
"Those punches that Francis Ngannou got hit with, it was scary to watch wasn’t it, let’s be honest. It looked like he was going to be asleep for a week. It was ridiculous. They were absolute thunderous punches he got hit with. What he’s going to do next is ultimately up to him. If I was in his position, I’d go where the money is — and as far as I’m aware — the money right now is in boxing, so that’s what I’d do."
Aspinall continued:
"But I’m not Francis Ngannou, so it’s difficult to say. I see that a lot of MMA fighters think it would be easy to switch to boxing. We punch, they punch, but it’s not that easy. But it’s not. I’ve done a lot of rounds with high-level professional boxers. These guys have been boxing since they were 10 years old."
While Ngannou suffered a vicious knockout loss against Joshua, his first professional boxing match was far more successful. Despite losing to Tyson Fury via split decision, 'The Predator' was very impressive, with many viewers believing that he won the bout.
Francis Ngannou does not plan to retire from boxing
Despite suggestions that he should retire from boxing following his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua, Francis Ngannou recently revealed that he does not plan to walk away from the sport. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, 'The Predator' stated:
"I started to feel like boxing, it now owes me something that I have to claim. The way that this fight happened is not the way that it's supposed to or that it 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."
Check out Francis Ngannou's comments on his return to combat sports below:
Ngannou has not competed in mixed martial arts since departing from the UFC, however, there have been suggestions that his PFL debut could take place later this year. He noted that he is not sure if he will compete in boxing or MMA in his return to action.
