Heavyweight boxer, Francis Ngannou: How I took responsibility for my own destiny (E238)
The High Performance Podcast
High Performance
4.8 • 4.7K Ratings
🗓️ 5 February 2024
⏱️ 68 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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Sharing his extraordinary life journey, Francis Ngannou delves into the layers of dedication, discipline and motivation it took to achieve his dreams.
A formidable force in both mixed martial arts and boxing, in 2021 Francis Ngannou became the UFC Heavyweight Champion. In this episode, Francis reflects on his childhood in Cameroon marked by financial instability, his parents’ divorce, and feeling like a “black sheep” in his community.
Francis shares how he was different from his peers at a young age, and how having his own vision of the world made his upbringing even tougher. He opens up about how creating an imaginary family provided the best coping mechanism to the loneliness he experienced as a child, and how this difficult upbringing provides constant strength.
At the age of 9, Francis began working in a sand-mine, before migrating from Cameroon to Paris at age 22 to begin his MMA and boxing career. Francis delves into what fuelled his drive and determination throughout those difficult but transformative years. He discusses how his life transformed after moving to Paris, allowing him to finally pursue his dreams.
Francis also reflects on losing his fight with Tyson Fury to a split decision, and how he sees it as a win. As he prepares for his upcoming fight with Anthony Joshua, Francis lifts the lid on his motivations and determination to win.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi there, this is High Performance, the show that unlocks the minds of some of the most fascinating people on the planet. |
| 0:07.0 | I'm Jay Comfort, and alongside our expert in high-performing cultures, Damien Hughes, we learn from the stories, the successes and the struggles of our guests, |
| 0:17.0 | allowing us all to explore, to be challenged and to grow. |
| 0:21.0 | Here's what's coming up. |
| 0:23.0 | I wasn't accepting that life. |
| 0:26.0 | One thing that I knew is that if someday I have a kid |
| 0:31.0 | I don't want him to have my life the life that I had the only person |
| 0:35.8 | that will help you and decide on your life and change your life is you from the |
| 0:40.3 | moment that you take that decision and put the work in, that's when you change your life. |
| 0:45.6 | You see all those people that been rescued or died in the ocean every day. |
| 0:50.0 | They know all the story, they know all the worst thing that is happening there, that you don't, you have no idea. |
| 0:55.6 | But they have no choice. |
| 0:57.6 | I mean, I won't. Look at me now. Look at my life, look at where I was when you think I lost, the dream that I was carrying since I was kid, I was that night living that dream on top of the world. |
| 1:13.4 | I was there. |
| 1:17.2 | Oh wow okay then here we go welcome to the only podcast that |
| 1:21.2 | NNA fighter and boxer Francis Ngano is doing ahead of his upcoming fight with |
| 1:26.0 | Anthony Joshua. So we met recently in a Central London hotel and you know what, Francis walked |
| 1:32.0 | into the room with such incredible presents. |
| 1:34.0 | Like I'm six foot four and I felt small next to him. |
| 1:38.0 | But interestingly, he walked into the room on his own. |
| 1:41.0 | He didn't have a huge entourage. |
| 1:42.0 | It wasn't what you'd normally expect from a boxer he's a man |
... |
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