Francis Ngannou vs Tyson Fury Source: SITA/AP/Yazeed Aldhawaihi)
RIYADH – British professional boxer and world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury confirmed his role as the favorite and won in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia over former MMA champion Francis Ngannou, but he was narrowly defeated in Sunday’s fight.
Once he went to the ground and beat the Cameroonian on points. Two judges awarded him the victory (96:93, 95:94), the third awarded more points to Ngannou (95:94). According to bookmakers, Fury was the clear favorite, but the over two-meter-tall Briton was nowhere near performing convincingly.
The course of the duel shocked many present. In the 3rd round, Ngannou even sent the Brit to the ground with a hard left hook and forced the referee to count for the first time. Although Fury quickly got back on his feet and was shaken by it in the next course, he had the upper hand in several phases, but still he did not get excited with his performance.
FRANCIS JUST KNOCKED DOWN TYSON FURY pic.twitter.com/TgBPgWVpx5
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) October 28, 2023
It was drama until the end of the fight. The Cameroonian showed physical readiness, which he kept steady for all 10 rounds. Great credit goes to the legendary Mike Tyson, who helped him with training.
“It was definitely not in the script. Francis is a really great fighter. He’s physically fit, he’s got a powerful punch and he’s a much better boxer than we all thought.” Fury paid tribute to the former MMA fighter.
Ngannou’s record in the UFC is 17 wins and three losses. “We can do it again and I’m sure I’ll be even better. It was my first boxing match and I really enjoyed it. Next time, with a little more experience, I’ll come back even stronger.” Ngannou said, according to the AP.
Many well-known and sports personalities did not miss the match either. Among them were footballers Figo, Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rio Ferdinand, former boxers such as Ricky Hatton, Evander Holyfield, Manny Pacquiao or the aforementioned Mike Tyson, and even rapper Eminem was seen.
Cristiano Ronaldo was all of us when he took a deep breath as Tyson Fury weathered the Francis Ngannou storm! 😲#BattleOfTheBaddest | #FuryNgannou pic.twitter.com/9xV1xKzKgK
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) October 29, 2023
Tyson Fury remained undefeated in professional training, in his 35th duel he claimed his 34th victory, he also has one draw. This year, he should still have an extremely anticipated match with Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in a unifying fight for the title of world champion. Usyk was also present and they had a staredown after the match.
What’s going through Oleksandr Usyk’s head after that? #FuryNgannou pic.twitter.com/LVJ5vH859J
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 29, 2023
Author: © List VIDEO: Twitter/Spinnin Backfist, YouTube/DAZN Boxing, Twitter/Boxing on TNT Sports, Twitter/BBC Sport Source: TASR, sports shoes
2023-10-29 09:56:15
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