Ngannou: 'I'm not leaving boxing' after Joshua fight

Francis Ngannou is committed to boxing - no matter how his fight against Anthony Joshua plays out.

"I will definitely still do some MMA fights, but I'm not leaving boxing," Ngannou said Monday during the event's grand arrivals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The former UFC heavyweight champion is scheduled to make his second boxing appearance Friday against Joshua, a former unified heavyweight champ and one of the most popular boxers in the world, in a highly anticipated 10-round bout at Kingdom Arena.

Ngannou made his boxing debut last October against WBC heavyweight titleholder Tyson Fury, dropping "The Gypsy King" in the third round and pushing him to the limit in a split-decision loss. Ngannou's success against Fury was a surprise to most combat sports pundits and set "The Predator" up for more huge paydays against the likes of Joshua.

"Remember, at the beginning, it was boxing," Ngannou said of his childhood dream to become a boxer. "I wasn't aware of MMA. And for more than a decade, it was all about boxing, dreaming about boxing. Even when the opportunity came around (to fight in MMA), it was, for me, an opportunity to shine, to be a world champion, and then potentially switch to do the crossover and go back to boxing.

"I feel like it was something that I had to fulfill in order to be at peace with myself, in order to retire peacefully. I needed to do that boxing, because I just love it. I can't tell you why, but I love it and I enjoy it."

Ngannou, 37, announced in February that he plans to return to MMA and fulfill his contractual obligations with the PFL, though he didn't set an exact timeframe. Ngannou is expected to make his promotional debut against Renan Ferreira, the 2023 PFL heavyweight champion who earned a shot at Ngannou by knocking out Bellator champion Ryan Bader last month. How soon that fight happens - or whether it happens at all - could come down to the result of Ngannou's fight with Joshua.