Former unified boxing heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua humiliated Francis Ngannou and knocked the Cameroonian out in the first round of their cross-over boxing match in Saudi Arabia on Friday. ‘The Predator’, who had left the UFC following disagreements with the promotion over issues ranging from pay to his desire to cross over and box, faced heavyweight champion Tyson Fury last year.

Ngannou lost a close, split decision to ‘The Gypsy King’ which set up his mega-clash with Joshua for the number one title contender fight. The Cameroonian was knocked out by ‘AJ’ in devastating fashion, and it is safe to say there was one person who was even happier than Joshua over the knockout: UFC boss Dana White.

White would have felt vindicated as it was proven yet again that cross-overs are not really competitive. In the UFC 299 press conference, the UFC CEO was asked what he felt about Joshua’s knockout of Ngannou.

White felt that if Tyson Fury had properly prepared for their boxing match, he could have knocked Ngannou out as well and felt that he was proven correct on the subject of cross-overs. “Going into the Fury fight, if Fury trained for the fight and didn’t show up, you know, it looked like he ate Tyson Fury, probably how that would have ended too. You know how I feel about crossovers and boxing, that’s how they end, just like that,” he said. So what’s next for Ngannou?

Francis Ngannou to face Renan Ferreira

Following PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira knocking out his Bellator counterpart Ryan Bader at the inaugural PFL vs. Bellator mega-card last month, Francis Ngannou, signed to the PFL, has declared that he will face Renan Ferreira in his first appearance in the PFL.

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Ngannou last fought in a mixed martial arts bout two years ago, when he successfully defended his UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270, despite a serious knee injury. Before his loss to Joshua, there were speculations that the former UFC champion may switch full-time to boxing as the pay is much higher. However, in good news for his fans ‘The Predator’ has confirmed that he will return to the octagon later this year

The effect of the crushing defeat to Josuha is that it has badly harmed Ngannou’s stock, which had risen rapidly following his performance against Fury last year and the Cameroonian may not be seen as a credible opponent in the heavyweight division anymore. What do you think about Dana White’s comments?

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