Heavyweight boxing king Tyson Fury defeated the former champion of the most prestigious MMA organization UFC, Francis Ngannou, and remains undefeated in the professional ring. The British boxer won after a mixed verdict from the point judges. The gala evening took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The champion against the debutant
The collision of two worlds should have been a clear matter. The boxer should have easily defeated the MMA fighter in a 10-round boxing duel. The 35-year-old Fury entered the fight with a record of 33 wins and 1 draw. Cameroonian Ngannou, two years older, had never boxed professionally before. He made his debut against the WBC world champion and one of the best heavyweights in history.
Read the remarkable story of Francis Ngannou:
news-item-description">Many great champions have risen from inhospitable backgrounds, but Cameroonian Francis Ngannou was perhaps the poorest of the poor.
The fight was preceded by a pompous show as if from the Super Bowl. The gala evening was watched by boxing legends Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Sugar Ray Leonard, as well as personalities across sports Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Conor McGregor. Rapper Eminem sat in the first row, the evening was accompanied by the legendary voice of boxing, Michael Buffer.
Ngannou was escorted to the ring by Mike Tyson – a childhood role model who helped him in his preparation. Former UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman were also in the crowd. After entering the ring, Fury headed straight for Ngannou, they met heads.
He shot down the super favorite in the 3rd round
However, he did not intimidate the debutant in the professional ring. On the contrary, the British champion failed to find a rhythm from the start. Ngannou gradually built up his confidence. When he landed a left hook early in the 3rd round, Fury slowed down.
The chess master changed positions in the ring, tried old boxing tricks, but Ngannou was ready for anything. He did not go after the opponent and did not reveal himself. You waited and countered. In the last minute of the 3rd round came the moment of the match. Fury fell, the African Bomber hit him with a left hook to the back of the head and the champion went to the ground!
Fury quickly stood up, but his eyes were not deceiving. He was shaken. “It’s final, we have a match!” shouted the commentator. After the gong, Ngannou gestured towards his opponent, joking. Round 4 belonged to him as well, Fury backing up again after a hard hook.
Ngannou surprised. When he cashed in, he immediately retaliated. He didn’t get thrown off by the tricks of a much more experienced opponent, he stayed focused. Hard exchanges continued with mutual blows, the hall buzzed after each one.
Fury was worried about invincibility
Fury found a rhythm in the 5th and 6th rounds. He refined his strikes and especially improved his movement. Ngannou, on the other hand, slowed down, breathing with his mouth wide open. Cashed in, lost accuracy. After the end of the 6th round he just walked slowly to his corner.
However, he caught a second breath. He had an excellent passage from the middle of the 8th round, when he hit the champion like on a trainer. He looked shaken again. Fury’s promoter Frank Warren was constantly communicating towards the client in the 9th round. He realized that the invincibility of his most valuable item was in greater jeopardy than ever before.
Fury couldn’t press in the last round. Ngannou knew that regardless of the judges’ verdict, he was the winner just because of the way he faced the super favorite. Self-confidence was declared by the so-called by punching Superman from a jump.
A single point decided! The first reactions speak of theft
Ngannou was more satisfied with the progress, they celebrated in the corner. His only chance was supposed to be one random punch, but in boxing he was equal to the technically brilliant artist from the ring. The nervousness before the announcement of the result could be cut.
The first judge scored the victory 95-94 for Ngannou, the second 96-93 for Fury. The drama was cut up by the third, which decided by a single point in Fury’s narrowest possible victory, 95-94. Part of the audience whistled, disputes about the correctness of the verdict immediately started on social networks and among former boxers and experts.
Fury spent a lot of time in front of the camera and little in the gym
“I thought Ngannou won. At times I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. Francis entered his first boxing match and faced the world champion. How could he win? But in my eyes he won. He boxed beautifully in places,” said Carl Frampton, former world champion.
Another British champion Chris Eubank Jr. stated, “I watched it from ringside and I think Ngannou won. It was close, but he was more aggressive, landing harder punches and sending him to the ground. Fury had huge problems against a guy who had never boxed before. He deserved to lose. He probably spent too much time filming documentaries for Netflix and less time in the gym.”
“This is exactly why I don’t watch boxing!” snorted basketball star LeBron James, dissatisfied with the verdict.
Fury: Toughest fight in 10 years
Regardless, Fury maintained his undefeated streak and remains the lineal champion and WBC world champion. He could not lose the title, as Ngannou has never boxed professionally and was therefore not in the WBC rankings.
“This was certainly not according to my script. Francis is a hell of a fighter, strong and a great puncher. I respect him. It was probably my toughest match in the last 10 years,” the self-proclaimed “King of the Gypsies” complimented his opponent.
With Usyk for the unification of titles on December 23?
Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk – champion of the WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO and The Ring magazine – entered the ring. Even before the match, there was talk of a unification match to unify the titles with a date set for December 23.
“I want it,” Fury commanded. “Let’s do it,” agreed Usyk. “I’ll be your next opponent for sure,” the Brit continued. Promoter Frank Warren confirmed the match and the venue in Riyadh, but left the date with a question mark.
Ngannou wants to continue
Ngannou did not have a hard heart for the referees after the bitter loss. “Thank you for the opportunity to prove people wrong about me once again. It was my first boxing match, but that’s no excuse. I tasted the temperature of the water and next time it will be better,” indicated the continuation of the ex-UFC champion in the ring. He still has a valid contract with the MMA organization PFL.
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