No it wasn’t a dream Francis Ngannou very nearly defeated the WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury in Riyadh.
With the latest performance against Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou not only declared his commendable dedication to combat sports but also made many believe in his abilities. By landing some of his powerful shots and flooring ‘The Gypsy King,’ ‘The Predator,’ in his debut boxing match, proved that he was not kidding when he declared he looked forward to knocking out Tyson Fury.
فرانسيس نجانو: بعد الخسارة الغريبة الآن، أعلم أنني أستطيع القيام بهذا الهراء. ويا حبيبتي، استعدي.
Francis Ngannou: After the freak loss now, I know I can do this shit. Oh my love, get ready.#boxing #ufc #fighter pic.twitter.com/3oaLnCFmUP
— mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) October 29, 2023
However, as fate would have it, despite the display of sheer will and effective skills, Ngannou lost the bout via a split decision. At this, while one cannot overlook the punches Tyson Fury successfully inflicted on the Cameroonian-French mixed martial artist, many considered Ngannou’s loss to Fury a controversial defeat. In this connection, ‘The Predator’ sent the WBC heavyweight champion a witty message moments after this loss.
Table Tennis champion of the world ☝🏿 #FuryNgannou pic.twitter.com/HmMZCcVYfR
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) October 29, 2023
After Ngannou and Fury battled for 10 3-minute rounds, judge Ed Garner gave the bout to Ngannou with a score of 95-94. However, Alan Kerbs scored it 95-94 and Juan Carlos Pelayo scored the match 96-93 in Fury’s favor. As a result, ‘The Gypsy King’ remained undefeated with a split decision over ‘The Predator’. At this, although Ngannou remained silent during the post-fight interview, he later indirectly questioned the judges on X:
Tyson should say thank you to those 2 judges because I didn't win this fight 🙄#FuryvsNgannou #RiyadhSeason
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) October 29, 2023
Taking to X, Ngannou wrote, “Tyson should say thank you to those 2 judges because I didn’t win this fight.” As per his statement, it seems Ngannou thought he won. Likewise, it is worth visiting his post-fight interview.
Obviously starting with a technical deficit, Francis Ngannou himself confided: “At first I was a little nervous, but now I know I can do it!” It must be said that when he sent Tyson Fury to the mat in the third round, many observers believed the victory was possible. Ultimately, the heavyweight champion had to wait until the judges’ deliberations to enjoy a narrow victory. Sue some consider unfair. Like the first interested party, Francis Ngannou.
Tyson Fury, for his part, didn’t add any more by showering praise on Francis Ngannou: “It wasn’t the scenario I had in mind. Francis is an incredible boxer, very strong. He is a fairly clumsy boxer, but very dangerous, because he hits very, very hard. He has a little academic style, I had difficulty against him, he is really a very good fighter, it is perhaps my hardest fight of the last ten years. It’s been almost a year since I last boxed and my boxing was a little rusty. Ngannou surprised me, he left marks on my face.” Coming from such a fighter, this can only make the former MMA champion proud. But for now, as you will have understood, the time has come for frustration and incomprehension. Before a revenge which could bring its share of twists and turns?
On paper, the idea might seem a little crazy. Even though he always dreamed of pursuing a career as a boxer, it was in MMA that Francis Ngannou found his calling. With many successes, leading him to the title of heavyweight champion of the UFC. A few months ago, somewhat against all odds, the 37-year-old Franco-Cameroonian fighter decided to slam the door. Before the announcement that caused so much noise. Namely the organization of a fight in front of 20,000 people in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, against Tyson Fury, WBC world champion since 2020, and undefeated in the professional world, at 35 years old, winning the majority of his victories by KO.
