Ryan Garcia has delivered a word of caution to any MMA fighters thinking about swaping the Octagon for the boxing ring.
It came after Anthony Joshua delivered a brutal second round knock out to defeat Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on Friday night.
The British fighter produced an excellent performance to knock the former UFC heavyweight champion to the canvas three times in the opening two rounds.
Ngannou, who was making his second professional appearance in the boxing ring, had startled Tyson Fury in his previous bout, knocking the Gypsy King to the floor, but was obliterated by Anthony Joshua on Friday night.
‘Let this be a big warning to MMA fighters!’ Garcia wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Anthony Joshua delivered a brutal second round knock out to defeat Francis Ngannou on Friday
Ryan Garcia told MMA fighters to ‘stop coming to boxing’ after Ngannou was beaten
Garcia issued a word of caution to MMA fighters hoping to step into the boxing ring on his X account
‘Stop coming to boxing it will only get worst. It’s more even if we just go to your sport! Over! One punch.’
Ngannou is not the first MMA star to turn his hand at boxing, with Ben Askren being beaten by Jake Paul, while Tyron Woodley, a former UFC welterweight champion, also suffered the same fate at the hands of the YouTube-turned boxer.
Conor McGregor also once swapped the MMA mitts for a pair of boxing gloves and took on Floyd Mayweather back in 2017, but ultimately lost to the undefeated champion.
On Friday night, McGregor was also called out by Tommy Fury, who is looking to step back into the ring soon after he recoveres from a hand injury.
Garcia also delivered his well wishes to Ngannou after he suffered a ferocious right hook that dropped him to the canvas.
‘Sending healing prayers to Francis! Your bravery and guts should be commendable.
‘Congratulations Anthony Joshua.’
The British fighter could now set up a much awaited fight against his compatriot, Fury.
Joshua will hope that the Gypsy King can take all of Usyk’s belts, when they finally meet in their postponed undisputed clash on May 18.
The British fighter had knocked the former UFC star to the canvas on three occasions in the fight in Saudi Arabia
Ngannou apologised to his fans after the fight claiming that he had ‘let you all down’ but vowed to come back after a ‘bad day at the office’
Many, including Joshua, had believed Ngannou had won his previous bout against Fury, with the former heavyweight champion saying he should be WBC heavyweight champion after knocking the former MMA star out.
‘Francis Ngannou beat the WBC heavyweight champion of the world. I should be WBC heavyweight champion of the world right now! He’s a great fighter,’ Joshua said after Friday’s bout.
Garcia, meanwhile, has been preparing to challenge Devin Haney for the WBC super lightweight championship in April, but concerns over his well being have arisen in recent weeks.
A series of concerning messages had been posted on his social media accounts over the last week, including some satanic references, has photographic proof that aliens exist and that he was previously a witness to ‘human trafficking’.
Garcia showcased his return to training by hitting the heavy bag in clip shared on social media
Despite his personal issues Garcia is still scheduled to face Devin Haney next month
Garcia sparked fear among his family after he had posted a video of an unidentified person claiming in the caption that the individual’s throat had been slit.
He has said that despite the worrying posts, he will still fight Haney on April 20, with Oscar De La Hoya brushing off concerns over Garcia’s wellness.
‘I’ve been in touch with Ryan Garcia,’ De La Hoya told Fight Hub TV. ‘I spoke to him yesterday. I literally did, we were on the video chat, we were FaceTiming each other. He looks good. He looks good, he looks ready. I’m telling you.’