When Tyson Fury went sensationally on the boards in this thrilling third round, even Alexander Usyk opened his eyes in disbelief and grabbed his forehead. From one second to the next, the million-dollar circus fight against boxing novice Francis Ngannou, actually only intended as an interlude on the way to the world championship showdown against Usyk, had become the most embarrassing episode in Fury’s illustrious career.
“That was definitely not planned,” said a battered Fury after ten difficult rounds in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh: “That was probably my toughest fight in ten years.” It didn’t matter that the WBC world champion had the exhibition fight against The MMA star won by a narrow margin after the judges’ decision (96:93, 95:94, 94:95). The man who sensationally dethroned Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 was ridiculed.
Alexander Usyk calls on Tyson Fury to fight
Hardly anyone had expected Ngannou, 37, to have any chances in advance. A knockout victory for Fury was widely expected because the Franco-Cameroonian had dominated the cage with his punching power as world champion, but had never fought under conventional boxing rules. But things turned out differently. “He’s a lot better than I thought and he gave me a good fight,” said Fury.
Although he remains undefeated after his 34th win in his 35th professional fight (a draw) and his world championship belt was not at stake anyway, this fight may have damaged Fury’s reputation. He goes into the agreed fight against Usyk for the status of undisputed heavyweight champion with a heavy burden.
Immediately after the end of the fight, the Ukrainian Usyk, champion of the WBA, WBO and IBF associations, climbed into the ring and asked Fury for a staredown. After Saturday it is questionable whether a duel will take place so soon. So far we have been talking about December 23rd, but it could also be January or February. One thing is certain for Fury: “This is guaranteed to be our next fight.”
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Promoter Frank Warren wasn’t persuaded about the fight date either, but he was enthusiastic about Riyadh as a venue. Logical, after all, Fury is said to have collected $50 million for the Ngannou fight. Meanwhile, it cannot be denied that after a weeks-long marketing campaign, the Saudi organizers put together a sportswashing event that does not need to hide from perfectly staged US events.
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With their oil millions, the hosts offered an opening ceremony with music acts from British rap to Latino pop – and attracted world-class spectators to the ring. Saudi legionnaire Cristiano Ronaldo was in the front row with glittering jewelry around his neck, Usyk sat diagonally behind him, and US rapper Eminem sat two places next to Ngannou coach Mike Tyson. Other boxing legends such as Ali’s defeater Larry Holmes and Evander Holyfield also followed the call of the desert.
Tyson Fury’s win against Francis Ngannou was expected
But after Fury walked in with a golden crown on his head to Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman”, the favorite quickly landed in reality. Even though the 35-year-old used good hands throughout the fight and ultimately won, Ngannou kept coming through with unorthodox punches – like in the third round, when he knocked Fury down with a left hook to the head sent.
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Fury, who was never able to bring Ngannou to the brink of a knockout, was noticeably shaken by the knockdown. Nobody saw something like this coming – least of all probably Fury himself. (aw/sid)
2023-10-29 12:47:32
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