- Ngannou dedicates battle to deceased son
- Ngannou vs Ferreira clash to attract thousands of Viewers
Francis Ngannou says he considered retiring following the death of his son earlier this year, but has chosen to fight on as it is “the best way of honouring him”.
Francis Ngannou, who was speaking at a news conference to promote his PFL heavyweight debut against Renan Ferreira on 19 October, posted on X in April, that his 15-month-old son Kobe had passed away.
The 37-year-old’s bout with Brazil’s Ferreira in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia marks his return to MMA and first fight since defeat by British boxer Anthony Joshua in March.
“Fighting for me is a lifestyle. I questioned myself if I should continue or retire, but I didn’t want my son to be the reason for me to do that,” said Ngannou.
“It’s become a new purpose for me. I decided to make a positive out of his 15 months of living. To find the strength out of him, as a motivation, to keep going instead to quit.”
“I think this is the best way of honouring him,” said Ngannou.
The launch press conference of Ngannou and Ferreira,was chaired by YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
Ngannou told Ferreira “you’re going to face a real champion now”, prompting laughter between the pair before they sized each other up.
Their fight is billed as the ‘Battle of the Giants’, with the winner receiving PFL’s newly established “super-fights championship belt”.
The co-main event pits long-time Bellator featherweight title-holder Cris Cyborg against PFL two-weight champion Larissa Pacheco.
The fight card in Saudi Arabia will be the latest in a string of high-profile sporting events to take place in the Kingdom.
Copyright©2024 kick442.com-Cameroon
All rights reserved. This material and any other digital content on this platform may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, written, or distributed in full or in part, without written permission from our management.
This site is not responsible for the content displayed by external sites
English 
French