WBC officially ranks Francis Ngannou after close loss to Tyson Fury
Francis Ngannou called his own shot by leaving the UFC, and even in defeat, he's reaping some unexpected benefits.
The World Boxing Council, or the WBC, officially listed the former UFC heavyweight champion in its rankings, placing him as the tenth-best heavyweight in the weight class.
As one of the official sanctioning bodies in boxing, putting someone who has only had a single official fight - a loss, in fact - sounds absurd on its face. Considering the usual shenanigans from the alphabet organizations, this may not even register as one of their worst controversies. Yet Ngannou's place in the rankings is a sign of interest in him for major potential fights in the squared circle.
Ngannou's contract with the Professional Fighters League gives him the ability to take boxing matches as well as those in mixed martial arts, something that he was unable to do when he was with the UFC. Although he is scheduled to make his MMA debut for the PFL in the early part of 2024, "The Predator" has stated that he wants a rematch with Fury, this time with his WBC championship on the line.
Fury will be preoccupied, however, as he signed on for a long-awaited unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk for all four major heavyweight titles, a fight that will take place in the early frame of 2024. This could mean that Ngannou could take on another boxer in '24 - perhaps other big-name heavyweights and former champions such as Deontay Wilder or Anthony Joshua - to support his push for a rematch.
One certainty is that both the WBC and Ngannou see big money ahead, and considering how much the former king of the UFC said he made in one boxing match compared to his time in the Octagon, more cash should be hitting his bank accounts sooner than later.
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