"I was more nervous" - Francis Ngannou discusses difference in confidence before facing Tyson Fury compared to Anthony Joshua

Despite the outcome, Francis Ngannou feels he was better prepared for the Anthony Joshua fight than he was for his debut against Tyson Fury.

Ngannou made his professional boxing debut against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in October 2023. Despite being relatively inexperienced in boxing, the Cameroonian gave Fury one of the toughest fights of his career. Although he lost the fight via split decision, Ngannou knocked Fury down in Round 3, which turned out to be the biggest moment of the fight.

Fans expected Ngannou to outdo himself in his recent fight against Joshua. However, he lost the fight via a second-round knockout that brought his title aspirations to a screeching halt.

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Ngannou explained how he felt going into both fights. 'The Predator' said that his time away from competition and knee injury that required surgery loomed large in his preparation for the fight against Fury. He explained:

"I was more nervous before the Tyson Fury fight because it was my first time [competing as a professional boxer]. It was my first fight after almost two years, I was coming out of surgery, I was more nervous and I was going to fight Tyson Fury."

Speaking about his preparation for the Joshua fight, Ngannou said:

"This time [Against Joshua] I got past that a little bit and I had a better training camp. This is also the thing that helped me to be okay with it. Because as far as training camp, I had my best training camp. I was in my best condition."

Catch Ngannou's comments below (7:00):

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Francis Ngannou gives his take on the knockout loss against Anthony Joshua

Francis Ngannou is known to have an incredible chin and so, many were shocked to see Joshua send Ngannou to the mat twice before putting him away with a lethal overhand.

This was the first knockout loss of Ngannou's combat sports career and he shared his thoughts on the setback in the same interview. Ngannou said (from 12:41):

"It was hard but I think it is a reality I have to face. I have watched it, unlike the other fights I don't even watch. I have to watch this the most to understand [what went wrong] and when I looked at it, I was like, I was not even there."

The knockout loss has not dampened Francis Ngannou's resolve, as he has expressed a desire to return to the sport of boxing despite currently being 0-2.