Francis Ngannou drops Tyson Fury, still not enough for win after shocking decision
Tyson "The Gypsy King" Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) is still undefeated. Francis "The Predator" Ngannou (0-1-0) dropped the heavyweight champion, but still lost via a controversial split decision after 10 rounds of boxing on Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The Predator shocked Fury and the rest of the world with an incredible performance in his professional boxing debut. Judges, however, saw the bout differently. One judge gave it to Ngannou 95-94, another had it 96-93 to The Gypsy King and the deciding judge called it 95-94 to the champion.
Coached by heavyweight legend Mike Tyson, Ngannou went to-to-toe with Fury, who didn't want to get into the judges' decision.
Ngannou took the loss like a champ amid a roaring ovation from the crowd and said he wants a rematch.
"I'm not giving any excuse, I work hard, I give my best," Ngannou said. "I know I can work harder. I know myself, I know my dedication. ... I'm getting ready to come here and take over."
Fury vs. Ngannou, first four rounds are electric
Fury came out swinging to start the opening round and connected a big right hand early on, but Ngannou stayed calm. He stuck to his gameplan and it paid off in the end.
Ngannou was the aggressor despite fighting on his backfoot. Fury was looking for an opening the entire fight, but The Predator was much too fast.
Both fighters switched their stance throughout the fight. Fury looked stunned and started to hug Ngannou, who kept getting away.
Fury's forehead was cut, seemingly from an accidental head clash, but a third round knockdown by Ngannou changed the fight.
Francis Ngannou drops Tyson Fury, who comes back
Ngannou dropped Fury with a big left hook to the side of the head in the third round. The Gypsy King quickly got back up to his feet.
The fourth round saw Ngannou slow down a bit, but Fury didn't catch his rhythm until after the fifth frame.
Fury looked a lot better than in the early rounds through the second half of the fight, but didn't land any damaging shots.
Ngannou, on the other hand, kept landing clean shots as Fury looked for a knockout with an uppercut, but took some damage in the meantime.
Tyson Fury ready to rest, Usyk not letting him
Both fighters drew blood from the other in an incredible crossover boxing match that will surely have a rematch.
During his postfight interview, Fury said he's ready to rest, but Oleksandr Usyk had other plans. He stepped onto the ring to seal the deal for a fight against the champion.
Fury, 35, is the lineal two-time champion and reigning, undefeated WBC heavyweight champ of the world. His record remains intact after 15 years of professional boxing.
Ngannou, 37, left the UFC with a 17-3-0 record, 12 victories by knockout and four via submission. He was the heavyweight champion of the promotion when his contract negotiation collapsed in January.
Post a Comment