Francis Ngannou’s new World Boxing Commission (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.
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.
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.”
