At 0-2, Francis Ngannou is still learning how the boxing world works. And he’s getting a pretty good education in all the sneaky ways the sport can beat you down and spit you out. He suffered an extremely questionable split decision loss to Tyson Fury, which taught him something important about boxing judges. And from his second round KO loss to Anthony Joshua, he learned that boxing promoters will happily trip you up if given half the opportunity.
Following the fight, “The Predator” said he felt off before stepping into the ring and couldn’t get himself going. The main event’s late start certainly had something to do with that, and now Ngannou is suggesting on the Joe Rogan Experience that it was all part of a plot by British boxing promoters to leave him waiting for five hours in his locker room.
During fight week, we would go for media sessions, but I would often be picked up and then left waiting for about an hour and a half before the media would actually arrive,” Ngannou explained to Rogan. “By the third day, our striking coach Dewey Cooper got really frustrated and said, ‘They’re doing this to tire us out!’ But I was unaware of what was happening at that time. So I tried to calm him down, saying, ‘No, it’s fine. Don’t worry.’ It wasn’t until the day of the fight that I realized what was going on.”
On the day of the fight, we are notified via email about the pickup time from the hotel, which is set for 10:30. However, the car arrives promptly at 10:20, ensuring we are ready to leave on time. The expected time for the fight is between midnight and 1. We reach the arena by 10:45, and while in the locker room, a producer informs us that there has been a delay in the broadcast. The new estimated time is around 1:45. Although it’s a significant change, I acknowledge that we have approximately 3 hours to spare since it’s currently 10:45.
Joshua arrived around 1:30, and Ngannou expressed his confusion, saying, “So are we supposed to fight at 1:45?” He pointed out that Joshua’s arrival time conflicted with their plan to leave the room at 3:30. Ngannou had spent almost two months training in Saudi Arabia for a midnight to 1 am fight, but even during that time, he was unaware of what was happening. It was only afterward that he realized the extent of his exhaustion. In the locker room, Ngannou found himself hitting mitts, sitting down, and eventually falling asleep due to extreme fatigue. He informed his coach, Eric Nicksick, that something was wrong, as he felt an overwhelming desire to sleep and was sweating profusely. However, despite these challenges, they continued with their training.
Ngannou made sure to avoid implicating “AJ” in his accusations.
The moment that @anthonyjoshua DESTROYED Francis Ngannou #JoshuaNgannou | #KnockoutChaos | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/ONl1rlhSlo
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) March 9, 2024
He stated, “I don’t want to imply that Anthony Joshua couldn’t defeat me. I believe if there’s anyone capable of defeating me, he’s the guy, one of the best in the field. It’s important to note that he wasn’t responsible for sending all those emails or organizing, so I don’t hold him accountable. However, the organization engaged in unfair practices that should be acknowledged.”
The reason his team was affiliated with the organization was because it involved Queensbury [Promotions] and Matchroom [Boxing]. The emails I received were from them, containing all the necessary information such as the schedule, pickup time, and program, which they sent every day.
Ngannou will have a chance to compete for a less hostile promotion when he makes his long-awaited PFL debut against Renan Ferreira in October.
