Francis Ngannou Awarded Special Saudi Arabian Perk Despite Upsetting Loss to Anthony Joshua

Francis Ngannou started his boxing career by competing in Saudi Arabia against Tyson Fury. Similarly, his second fight also took place in the same country against Anthony Joshua. Now owing to his popularity in Saudi Arabia, the country’s authorities presented ‘The Predator’ with a Premium Residency before he fought ‘AJ’ last weekend.

Saudi Arabia has grown to become a prominent destination for sports events. After Cristiano Ronaldo‘s advent to the Saudi Pro League, other sporting communities, such as MMA and boxing, have also found the Middle Eastern nation as a great venue for their events. As far as athletes as concerned, the Kingdom has been putting in the effort to reward them for their work as Francis Ngannou received his due.

Francis Ngannou gets a Premium Residency in Saudi Arabia

The Premium Residency award is primarily Saudi Arabia’s first step forward for its ambitious plan of establishing itself in the world as the most prominent sporting hub. This prestigious accolade aims to entice world-class athletes from all corners of the globe. Breaking the news regarding Francis Ngannou being the recent recipient of the award Thursday night, Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, shared the exciting announcement via his Snapchat account, as per reports.

The reason for Francis Ngannou’s admission for the Premium Residency award is due to his popularity as an MMA and boxing star among the people of Saudi Arabia. His narrow loss to Tyson Fury put him in a great position among Saudi fans. However, despite coming close to beating the ‘Gypsy King’, Ngannou could not overcome Anthony Joshua. Let’s see how the fight panned out.

Anthony Joshua handed a devastating KO loss to ‘The Predator’

Fight fans had high hopes for Francis Ngannou against Anthony Joshua after his impressive performance against Tyson Fury. However, things were totally different this time out. ‘AJ’ started troubling Ngannou from the very first round. Still, the Cameroonian-French kept fighting the former boxing champion. However, things were about to end soon.

The next round resulted in a swift knockout of Francis Ngannou, as Anthony Joshua sent a message to the heavyweight division after Tyson Fury failed to do what he did to the former UFC champion. Moreover, boxing coach Carl Froch mentioned that Ngannou should stay away from boxing after witnessing how he got knocked out.

Read More: Boxing Journalist Highlights Francis Ngannou’s “Rookie Mistake” in KO Loss to Anthony Joshua

Despite being advised to stay away from boxing, Francis Ngannou isn’t done with the sport. He plans to continue his business inside the squared circle as we wait to see what’s next for him. Meanwhile, Ngannou will also be competing in MMA under the PFL banner, so he will look to prepare for that as well. We will have to wait and see how things pan out for the former UFC champion after the KO loss.

Read More: Anthony Joshua Reveals Lesson Learned From Francis Ngannou Fight