Francis Ngannou’s new WBC ranking has been confirmed after his loss to Anthony Joshua.
Francis Ngannou’s new WBC ranking has been revealed after he was knocked out by Anthony Joshua – and it’s bad news for the former UFC star.
Ngannou was taking part in his second competitive professional boxing bout against Joshua on March 8, after a narrow split decision defeat to Tyson Fury in October.
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As a result of that Fury bout, some pundits gave the French-Cameroonian fighter a chance of upsetting the odds against Joshua in Riyadh.
But the Brit showed his class with a dominant display, and knocked Ngannou down with a fearsome right hand in round one.
Joshua then floored Ngannou twice in the second round to win via knockout in incredible fashion, with his opponent briefly requiring oxygen after the fight before thankfully getting back to his feet.
Speaking on his Instagram account last week, Ngannou revealed he was ‘falling asleep and sweating’ in the locker room before the fight.
He also confirmed that he will return to boxing when the time is right.
But he will have to do so from a much lower starting point in terms of the rankings, with his new ranking now revealed after the Joshua defeat.
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Ngannou is now ranked 24th in the WBC heavyweight rankings, dropping behind the likes of Joe Joyce, Dereck Chisora and Otto Wallin.
He was previously ranked as world number 10.
Despite his convincing victory in Saudi Arabia, Joshua had some classy words for Ngannou and his coach immediately after the knockout.
In a short conversation that was picked up by DAZN cameras, Joshua said: “You’re an inspiration. You’d beat a lot of people. Don’t leave boxing – don’t leave.
“Dewey [Cooper, Ngannou’s head coach] – don’t leave boxing, you know. This guy is the truth.
“If you [Ngannou] need anything, let me know. We’ll speak another time. I’d love to support your foundation – we’ll speak another time.”
Anthony Joshua has defeated Francis Ngannou via knockout after a stunning performance in Saudi Arabia.
Joshua knocked his opponent down with a fearsome right hand inside the first round as he looked to assert early dominance on proceedings.
The Watford-born fighter then landed another right hand in round two which clearly appeared to daze Ngannou.
The former UFC champion got back up, but was immediately sent straight back down to the canvas – for the final time in the fight.
Ngannou required oxygen after the knockout, but was able to sit up in his corner as he was attended to by medical staff, and eventually got up to his feet.
Joshua went into the bout, which took place in Riyadh, as the heavy favourite – although not many expected such a dominant display.
Ngannou suffered a split decision loss to Tyson Fury in his first professional fight in October, and was seen as a strong challenger to the former two-time heavyweight champion.
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And despite a fast start in the opening 30 seconds of the contest, the first of three knockdowns rocked Ngannou. While he made it to the end of the round, Joshua sensed his opportunity.
