Purists didn’t believe the fight between the WBC heavyweight king and a well-known MMA fighter should have happened. But the fight made a lot of people pay attention, made it possible for more crossover fights in the future, and made people wonder about the overall quality of the division.
I’m sure I won. I don’t understand how I lost after seeing the fight again… I can now box. They’re shocked, but I’m not. —
Francis Ngannou
It’s not my fault, and I won’t say anything bad about the other man. The punch stats, on the other hand, make it clear that he did not win.
T.Y. FURY
Like many boxing fans, former WBA featherweight champion Barry McGuigan didn’t want Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou to fight.
McGuigan thought these kinds of fights were like freak shows at the circus. Boxing wasn’t going on here. Ngannou was a past UFC heavyweight champion in mixed martial arts, but he had never boxed before. Ngannou wore fighting gloves for the first time in the fight, which was called the “Battle of the Baddest.”
The simple way out?
On the other hand, Fury was a well-known boxer who held the WBC heavyweight title. Fans couldn’t wait to see Fury fight guys his own size, like fellow British fighter Anthony Joshua or Oleksandr Usyk, who is the undisputed heavyweight king. For some reason, people thought Fury was taking the easy way out by choosing to fight a new fighter.
At most, Ngannou was thought to hit a few lucky punches. He had no chance of beating his skilled opponent over the course of the fight.
The fight, on the other hand, followed a shocking plot. So much so that McGuigan joined a conversation on social media about how the fight turned out. McGuigan, who used to be rude, had to pay attention.
Ngannou did very well despite all the odds. In the third round, Ngannou hit Fury with a left hook that knocked him out. Because Fury had teased him earlier that night, he danced over the dead Fury. “Fury told me to take you to school when we touched gloves.” That’s why I danced over him after I hit him. “You’re a bad teacher!” Ngannou talked about it. Ngannou became more sure of himself and even tried a “Superman” punch by flying in with a strong right while having both feet off the ground. Fury did well to last all ten rounds as it ran away.
Choice that caused debate
Even though Fury didn’t put on a great show, the judges gave him a surprising split decision win. In boxing, judges often get it wrong, which is why many people say Ngannou was robbed of what could have been a huge upset.
Fury said that he wasn’t even close to being at his best after the fight. I’m not going to say sorry for what I did; it wasn’t my best work. It was a nice camp. No one was to blame. The fight was tough. Even though it wasn’t very good, don’t take anything away from the other man [Ngannou]. “Your enemy can only make you as good as they let you be,” Fury told the YouTube station iFL TV.
Fury also said that he agreed with the judges’ choice that Ngannou had only won two rounds. “I’m not a boxing judge, but based on the punch stats, it’s clear he didn’t win,” Fury said.
Everyone has said how great Ngannou’s performance was, but he was sure he had been robbed. “I’m pleased with how I did.” I’m sure I won. Ngannou said on “The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani,” “I really don’t know how I lost. I watched the fight again.”
In the UFC, Ngannou is known for being able to knock out opponents with just one punch. He trained hard for this fight. He asked his hero and legendary boxer Mike Tyson to be in charge of his training camp. As a student of the sweet science, Tyson added more depth to the new boxer’s plan.
By far going above and beyond what was expected, Ngannou has made it possible for more fights like this to happen. The tough Cameroonian-French guy is the second famous UFC fighter after Conor McGregor to step into the boxing ring. He won’t be the last one, for sure.
Thoughts have already been put forward that Ngannou might fight Joshua soon. His stock is high, so this would be good for business. The 37-year-old is likely to get a lot of other tempting offers.
Options aplenty
Lots of choices: Ngannou is saying that he wants to fight in both MMA and boxing, so he has a lot of choices. Ngannou said, “Let’s see” when asked if he would like to fight more times. I can now box. Even though they’re shocked, I’m not.”
It has also been said that Deontay Wilder, the former WBC heavyweight champion, could fight Ngannou in MMA. Since Wilder has never been in an MMA fight before, the scary Ngannou might find it easy to beat him. “This fight has been talked about. It’s possible that it will happen. It’s been a while since Wilder trained in MMA. “This makes sense, but nothing is set in stone yet,” Ngannou said.
Fury’s image has taken a big hit because of this close escape. Even though Fury is known as a master technician, his cautious approach against Ngannou has made some people wonder if the 35-year-old is past his best.
Fury’s performance is not a good sign for heavyweight boxing as a whole. If a complete stranger like Ngannou can come in and make a big difference on his first fight, it says a lot about how good the other fighters are in the class.
A lot of famous people, like rapper Eminem, Bollywood star Salman Khan, and football player Cristiano Ronaldo, were at the fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Usyk was in the crowd, and he was shocked when Fury fell to the ground. As part of his deal, Fury has to fight Usyk next. If he loses, this dream fight for the ultimate title might not happen. It was really important for Usyk for Fury to win, and he even yelled directions at the suffering British boxer from the stands.
“When Francis was knocked down, I said, ‘Woah, woah, woah… Francis, please be careful!'” It’s true that I was a little worried that our fight might be in danger when I told Tyson to “jab, jab, move, jab!” Some of the things I said to him were small, like “Use your jab, jab him faster.” That’s all of it, Usyk told Boxing King Media.
A return between Fury and Ngannou will have to wait because the deal for the Usyk-Fury fight was signed before Ngannou came along.
Undisputed at last
Without a doubt, Usyk and Fury stared at each other in the ring to get people excited for their long-awaited fight. The fight is set to happen in Saudi Arabia, but the date has not been set yet. After seeing Fury lose to a new fighter, Usyk will feel like he has the upper hand now that he is the favourite.
When he fought Usyk, Fury put on a brave face. After decades, Fury said, “This fight has been in the making for a long time.” The fight will finally crown an undefeated heavyweight winner. “We planned to fight in April, but it didn’t happen.” There will be a queue of belts. Come on!”
