Francis Ngannou stuns the boxing world in split-decision loss to Tyson Fury
WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury ultimately earned the decision over former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou on Saturday. However, in the crossover battle of combat sports titans, Ngannou walked away the true winner.
While the result wasn't unexpected, Ngannou more than held his own and maybe performed at a higher level than anticipated. The Cameroonian not only scored a knockdown in the third round but took Fury the distance in the 10-round bout. The scorecards reflected a close battle, awarding the fight to the champ (whose title wasn't on the line) 94-95, 96-93, 95-94.
Some would argue that Fury may have held back, but with a scheduled fight against WBA, WBO and IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk right around the corner in December, it's doubtful he would choose to fight 10 rounds if he didn't have to. Plus, the number of impactful shots landed by Fury and Ngannou proved that the fight in the ring was no show, despite the pomp and circumstance.
While Fury may not have agreed with the scorecard, he came away impressed with Ngannou.
"That definitely wasn't in the script," Fury said via TNT Sports. "Francis is a hell of a fighter, strong, a big puncher and a lot better boxer than we all thought he would ever be."
Despite the loss, Ngannou was in good spirits after the fight, saying he felt "fantastic." He was feeling so good that he even hinted at a rematch with Fury down the line.
"We can run it back again, and I'm sure I'm going to get better," Ngannou said. "This was my first boxing match, great experience. I'm not giving any excuses. I come up short, but I'm going to go back and work harder.
Added Ngannou, "With a little more experience this time, a little more feeling of the game, and come back even stronger."
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