2023-10-29 01:23:11
The British took the fight by split decision
This Saturday, Francis Ngannou was one step away from making history in the Fight of the Year. The former UFC champion knocked down British boxer Tyson Fury in his first fight in a ring, but the owner of the World Boxing Council heavyweight belt (the title was not at stake) recovered from that blow in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, to win the fight by split decision.
After taking the victory on the scorecards (94-95; 96-93; 95-94), Fury seemed surprised in front of his opponent on duty: “That definitely wasn’t in the script. Francis is a great fighter. He is strong, he is a great puncher and a much better boxer than we thought he would be.” In the run-up, it was believed that it was going to be a comfortable victory for the European, since Ngannou had never made his debut in the professional boxing arena, but the Cameroonian surprised the specialists with his performance.
Mike Tyson, who trained Francis Ngannou, did not miss the fight once morest Tyson Fury (REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri)
The 37-year-old Cameroonian came to the ring accompanied by a stellar presence, such as Mike Tyson. The former world heavyweight champion watched closely the moment that shook the sports world for a few seconds. In the third round, Francis Ngannou took advantage of the exchange of blows to assert his status as the strongest puncher on the planet. A left hook knocked Tyson Fury to the canvas and he immediately approached his position to perform a brief tap at the judge’s request for him to move away from him.
A little dazed, Fury left the count behind to return to the ring and, despite staggering once more in the fourth round, regained his breath. His improvement ended in a great forehand in the next round, although his opponent remained in full form brilliantly. Already in the seventh, it seemed that the King of the Gypsies was stumbling once more in the ring, but it was only a slip.
Tyson Fury celebrates with his belt following winning the WBC heavyweight title once morest Francis Ngannou (REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri)
After completing the ten rounds, the judges’ decision was made present in an evening that was attended by Cristiano Ronaldo, who started for Al-Nassr this Saturday and gave an assist in the 3-1 victory over Al Feiha in the Saudi Pro League. It is worth noting that CR7 had given the loser a watch of his own brand manufactured by the American jewelry company Jacob & Co. and valued at USD 134,000. Both have been friends since the player’s arrival in the Arab country.
Some time ago, the fighter had cast his gaze on the possible jump in discipline and, on the same day of one of his last fights in the UFC, on January 22, 2022 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, he stated: “I’m not sure “What will happen, but boxing is something I definitely want to do.” Beyond the result, his cover letter might not have been better.
The moment Francis Ngannou knocks down Tyson Fury. Finally, the Cameroonian lost the fight on points and in a split decision (Getty)
More than a year following those statements, the protagonist analyzed his premiere: “We can do it once more and I am sure I will improve. This was my first boxing match. It was a great experience”. And he closed not wanting to get into controversy regarding the final result: “I’m not going to give any excuse, I know I fell short. But I’m going to come back and work harder.”
In the preliminary fights, Fabio Wardley defeated David Adeleye by technical knockout (TKO) in the seventh round, the British heavyweight title was at stake; Joseph Parker did the same once morest Simon Kean (TKO in the third round), Martin Bakole once morest Carlos Takam (TKO in the fourth round); and Arslanbek Makhmudov to Junior Anthony Wright (TKO in the first round).
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