Tyson Fury was expected to dominate Francis Ngannou but the WBC heavyweight champion was dropped by the debutant before escaping with a narrow split decision win with one point being the difference.
Scores of 96-93 and 95-94 for Fury overruled the 95-94 total for Ngannou, but the real story of the fight was Ngannou’s incredible performance as he pushed Fury to the absolute limit.
Fury made a fast start, but his momentum was sensationally derailed in round three when he hit the floor courtesy of a Ngannou left hook. The session soon ended as Fury regained his senses, but it was clear we had a proper fight on our hands.
Fury responded well by taking a cautious approach and edging rounds with his jab, but whenever he had success, Ngannou would quickly put the pressure back on as he pushed Fury all the way to the final bell.
As the two fighters nervously awaited the outcome, Fury looked slightly embarrassed to receive the judges’ verdict as arguably his hardest night in a boxing ring was given to him by a novice.
The next move for Fury was set to be Oleksandr Usyk on December 23rd in an undisputed battle but with Fury suffering a cut in the fight, that date could be moved.
“That definitely wasn’t in the script. Francis is a hell of a fighter. Strong, a big puncher, and a lot better boxer than we all thought he’d ever be,” said Fury afterwards.
“I’ve been out the ring a long time again, 11 months since my last fight and you can see it in here, ring rust. No excuses, he’s a good fighter and caught me with some good punches. I’ve got a cut above my left eye. If it’s from a headbutt I’m not sure.”
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