Francis Ngannou showed why he is one of the top heavyweight fighters in the world Saturday, dropping reigning WBC champion Tyson Fury. In the end, though, it was Fury who was awarded the decision in the 10-round match. The bout took place from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Francis Ngannou Stuns Tyson Fury, Unable To Claim Decision
In the third round of their heavyweight match Saturday, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou showed Tyson Fury his power.
Ngannou dropped the reigning WBC heavyweight champion from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
After 10 rounds of action, though, it was Fury who was declared the winner via split decision. One judge ruled the fight in favor of Ngannou, 95-94, while the other two gave it to Fury by scores of 96-93 and 95-94.
Fury, who was a -1,400 betting favorite entering the match, looked stunned to be picking himself up from the canvas after taking Ngannou’s shot early in the fight. He is now scheduled to meet undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk later this year.
That fight is planned for December 23 and will see Fury return to Saudi Arabia.
“It will be our next fight guaranteed,” Fury said (thanks to ESPN for the quotes).
Fury, who moved to 34-0-1 in his career, appeared unsure of how to handle Ngannou, who was making his professional boxing debut. The knockdown was the seventh time Fury has hit the canvas in his career, and he has made it back up each and every time.
The fight stats showed just how close the bout was, as Fury landed 71 punches and Ngannou 59. Both attempted over 220 and Fury held a plus-5 edge in power shots landed. Ngannou, though, threw 116 power strikes to 86 by the champion, who was not defending his title.
“That definitely wasn’t in the script,” Fury said. “He’s a very awkward man and he’s a good puncher and I respect him a lot. He wasn’t coming forward, he was standing back waiting for me.
“He’s given me probably one of my toughest fights in the last 10 years. He’s a good boxer. He’s a lot better than I thought he’d be and he gave me a good fight. I would like to do it again down the line and I’m sure Francis would like to do it as well.”
Francis Ngannou: ‘I’m A Fighter’
Ngannou signed with PFL after his contract with the UFC expired with him holding the heavyweight title at the time. He owns a 17-3 record in mixed martial arts bouts.
“I’m a fighter,” Ngannou said. “We can run it back again, and I’m sure I will get better. This was my first boxing match. It was a great experience. I’m not giving any excuse.
“I know I came up short, but I’m going to go back and work harder with a little more experience and little more feeling of the game. I will come back stronger.”
Fury and Usyk had a face-off after inside the ring to promote their bout, which has an immediate rematch clause built into the contract.
