Cameroonian mixed martial arts fighter, Francis Ngannou, has faced criticism after seemingly suggesting that his loss to Anthony Joshua was due to his early arrival at the arena.
During a recent interview on the MMA Hour, Ngannou mentioned that he arrived at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh two hours earlier than Joshua, implying that this may have been a tactic to tire him out. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, expressed disappointment with Ngannou’s comments, stating that the 37-year-old should have known better.
Hearn clarified that fighters are given specific arrival times by broadcasters, and it’s up to them to decide when to arrive. He emphasized that different fighters have different preferences regarding their arrival times before a fight. Hearn also addressed a social media post containing Ngannou’s remarks, indicating his uncertainty about Ngannou’s understanding of the situation.
After the fight, Ngannou admitted to having no memory of being knocked out by Joshua and feeling disoriented between rounds. When asked if fighting late at around 3 am affected him, Ngannou mentioned that while both fighters were scheduled to fight at 3 am, he arrived at the arena much earlier than Joshua. He suggested that such tactics, including making him wait excessively, may have been employed to tire him out.
