In a shocking turn of events, Tyson Fury was forced to survive a third-round knockdown to eke past Francis Ngannou via split decision Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In a 10-round boxing match, the former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, received a split decision, with one judge scoring it 95-94 in his favor. However, the majority of the judges overruled this score with tallies of 96-93 and 95-94 in favor of Tyson Fury, the reigning WBC heavyweight champion. It’s worth noting that Fury’s WBC heavyweight title was not at stake in this contest. For Ngannou, it marked his professional boxing debut, his first fight since January 2022.
Despite being an overwhelming favorite with odds set at -1400, England’s Tyson Fury faced arguably one of his toughest challenges against Ngannou. Nonetheless, Fury now advances to an undisputed heavyweight championship fight against Oleksandr Usyk, even though his performance against Ngannou may be considered one of his less impressive showings.
The Fury-Usyk showdown, widely anticipated as one of the biggest bouts in boxing, is scheduled for December 23 in Riyadh. However, there are uncertainties surrounding this date due to Tyson Fury’s condition after his match with Ngannou. Fury sustained cuts over his left eye and forehead and took damage during the fight, raising questions about his ability to recover and prepare for the upcoming match against Usyk in less than two months.
Fury stated, “It will be our next fight guaranteed,” emphasizing his commitment to the bout. He currently ranks as ESPN’s No. 6 pound-for-pound boxer.
In a surprising turn of events, Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs), who was expected to dominate against Ngannou, ended up winning by decision. Ngannou, renowned for his devastating punching power in MMA, had never even competed in amateur boxing. In a shocking turn
Throughout the bout, Fury appeared perplexed and uncertain about how to approach Ngannou, who displayed unexpected timing. In the third round, Ngannou landed a left hook on Fury’s temple, resulting in a knockdown – the seventh in Fury’s career. Yet, as he had done in previous instances, including four times in his heavyweight title trilogy with Deontay Wilder, Fury managed to rally back to secure victory.