Francis Ngannou is going through one of the worst moments of his life fortunately, he is not alone. After announcing the death of his 15-month-old son, Kobe, Ngannou has received countless signs of support from his fellow fighters, starting with one of his most recent rivals, Anthony Joshua.

Just on Monday, April 29, the former UFC heavyweight champion announced the death of little Kobe. In a long, emotional message on his Instagram account, the fighter lamented, “My little boy, my mate, my partner Kobe, was full of life and joy. Now, he’s lying without life.”

The message attracted support from all fronts for Ngannou. So far, the post has received almost 700,000 reactions and nearly 70,000 responses, and one of the first was that of Anthony Joshua, whom Francis faced this past March 8.

Joshua, a father of one, offered his condolences to his colleague saying “May the memories you shared bring you comfort.” Joshua was followed by many others, such as Connor McGregor, Manny Pacquiao, Cain Velasquez, and Mike Bisping.

Shows of support for Ngannou

“Absolutely gutted reading this, Francis!” said  McGregor in his response, adding, “I can only imagine the pain you are in right now. I am so sorry hearing this news. I pray God has the best and safest place in heaven for him until you meet again.”

Pacquiao also tried to comfort the fighter: “I’m sorry, brother. Can’t imagine the pain and struggle you are going through. Praying for you and your family right now!” While Velasquez responded, “Bro, I have no words, but I am here. Praying for you and your family. Sending you a hug.”

Henry Cejudo was one of the most eloquent when he said, “I’m so sorry for your loss, Francis. Losing family is the hardest thing a human can go through in life. We don’t have the answer, but one day you’ll meet again. We love you, my brother.”

Other athletes offered their support

Among the fighting community, Tony Bellew, David Adeleye, Derek Brunson, Tyrone Woodley, Roy Nelson, Dillon Danis, and Mark Hunt, among others, also expressed their solidarity with Ngannou through brief but sincere messages.

The displays of affection also extended beyond the world of boxing and MMA, with messages from NBA Milwaukee Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo and NHL Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane.

The causes of Kobe Ngannou’s death have not been revealed.

Eddie Hearn has slammed Francis Ngannou for appearing to suggest that his demolishing defeat by Anthony Joshua was down to his early arrival at the arena.

Joshua knocked down the former UFC heavyweight champion three times in two rounds to secure a dominant victory in Saudi Arabia.

Ngannou, in a recent interview on the MMA Hour, said that he arrived at the Kingdom Arena, in Riyadh, two hours earlier than Joshua, appearing to suggest that this was a ‘trick’ to tire him out.

Joshua’s promoter Hearn has taken exception with the comments, suggesting the 37-year-old ‘should know better’.

He told Boxing Social, ‘I was baffled. It is a bit disappointing really.

“He said they got him to the arena (early), who is they? You get given times by the broadcaster.

In a candid interview following his recent defeat in the boxing ring, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou spoke openly about the challenges he faced during his bout against Anthony Joshua.

The fight, which took place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, saw Ngannou suffer a second-round knockout at the hands of the British boxer, marking a significant moment in his nascent boxing career.

Despite entering the fight with confidence bolstered by a commendable debut against Tyson Fury, Ngannou found himself overpowered by Joshua‘s experience and skill. A pivotal moment occurred in the first round when Joshua landed a powerful straight right, sending Ngannou to the mat.

Although he managed to finish the round, the initial knockdown proved to be a harbinger of what was to come. Ngannou was ultimately unable to mount a significant challenge before being decisively taken down with another right hand in the second round, ending the match at 2:38.

Reflecting on the fight, Ngannou revealed a startling detail to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. He confessed that his recollection of the events between the rounds is nonexistent.

“My memory and my vision kept going,” Ngannou said. “I don’t remember when I came back from the stool to go to the second round.

“From the stool, in between rounds, I wasn’t there anymore. Some days are just not your day and you can’t explain what happened. It was quite weird.”

Despite the loss and its accompanying concerns, Ngannou remains resolute, expressing no regrets over his performance or strategy, including his decision to fight in a southpaw stance, a choice he defends as being instrumental in his prior success against Tyson Fury.

“I do not have any regrets,” Ngannou asserted. “Now that I lost the fight, we can say anything that I’ve done wrong.

“We worked on everything, and everything was OK. This was all my choice [going southpaw]. Even in southpaw, my defense is more sharp than orthodox.

“In the southpaw, to take a hit from the right back hand, this is something that in sparring never happened, and I’ve been there so many times practicing. With the same southpaw, I think we basically won the fight against Tyson [Fury].”

Ngannou’s future in the ring

Looking ahead, Ngannou‘s passion for boxing remains undimmed. While some fans and observers might worry about the implications of his memory loss on his future in the sport, the fighter is keen on returning to the boxing ring before stepping back into the MMA octagon.

As Ngannou contemplates his next moves, the combat sports community watches with a mix of admiration and concern, hopeful for his success and safety in whichever arena he chooses to compete next.

Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua says his mum doesn’t watch his fights because she doesn’t enjoy boxing, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

An emphatic knock-out victory against Cameroonian Francis Ngannou earlier this month appears to have set Joshua on a path to facing the winner of the Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s clash for the undisputed heavyweight championship.

Joshua has been on a comeback trail since losing his belts to Usyk in a pair of fights in 2021 and 2022.

Despite that setback in Joshua’s career, TalkSPORT quoted his net worth to be in the region of £150m before he took to the ring against Ngannou, a bout where he is widely reported to have earned £40m.

From the mega net worth, the British-Nigerian has been able to take care of his mum but he admitted to Good Morning Britain that his mum can’t watch him on a fight night.

“Sometimes she doesn’t show up, she stays behind and she prays a lot. She says she can’t really watch her son because she doesn’t enjoy it,” the 34-year-old former world champion said.

“It’s tough for her, of course, but she enjoys the fruits of her labour. I take care of my mum a lot, I love her dearly.”

He added that he still lives with her as his work schedule would not enable him spend enough time with her if he moves out.

“I still live with my mum. I realised that when I started training – which I do away from home a lot – that if I’m away for 10 months of the year and then when I get back I’ve got to do commercial work I realise that if I was to move out I’d never actually see my mum.

“I’m away in various parts of the world for a lot of the time, but my actual base is at home with mum. So, I can still wake up and see her and spend time with her when
I can.”