Francis Ngannou Gives Tyson Fury The Shock of His Life

Francis Ngannou Gives Tyson Fury The Shock of His Life

Even before the left hook that landed in the 3rd round that shockingly put Tyson Fury on the seat of his pants, there were signs that there was something unusual in the air. Francis Ngannou was far better than expected and can have at least some complaints that he came up short on the judges’ cards. Fury was poor. By some distance the worst version of the ‘Gypsy King’ we have seen in recent times. But Ngannou deserves immense credit for the performance that he served up.

There was never a hint that Fury was carrying Ngannou. He knew what was at risk. Ngannou stayed the course because he deserved to. The so-called no-hoper made fools out of many, including me, who thought the fight would be in no way shape or form competitive. Ngannou not only had that sensational moment in the 3rd, but he also had a very good round in the 8th. A stanza in which Fury appeared to be running on empty and absorbed plenty of heavy shots. The great upset looked on at that point.

Fury survived and got the benefit of the doubt on the scorecards by scores of 94-95, 96-93, and 95-94. A split-decision that was very much disputed. Fury and the money men will leave Saudi Arabia with more relief than joy. Fury won, but the moral winner on the night was Francis Ngannou. He will have earned another boxing mega payday as a result. Make no mistake, the phone will now ring. Ngannou will be back inside a boxing ring. To push the undefeated WBC heavyweight champion of the world that close in his professional debut just defied belief. The former UFC heavyweight champion was a credit to himself and his former sport. What was perceived as mission impossible, Ngannou came desperately close to making it possible. The expected quick cash grab nearly ended disastrously. Some will say it should have.

But I had no qualms with the scoring. I had it 6-4 to Fury in rounds, with the knockdown in the 3rd, I had Fury winning by just a single solitary point. But if Ngannou had got the decision over Fury, nobody could have complained. Oleksandr Usyk at ringside, would have liked what he saw. On this form, Usyk wins. And easily.

Fury struggled to find his timing and looked distinctly uncomfortable all night long. Ngannou was basic but incredibly effective. The former UFC heavyweight champion was patient and switched stances effectively, and Fury couldn’t seem to work him out. Fury came in at his heaviest-ever weight. Was he just unprepared? Couple that with a near-year-long period of inactivity, and maybe that was why he had such a desperate struggle with the novice pro. Or maybe, Fury is very much on the decline and the delicate boxing fraternity is just making excuses for what we saw. Usyk will give us all the answers we need when they meet in the not-too-distant future. Or so we hope. The chances of it happening on the 23rd December now look remote.

What was viewed as a farcical mismatch turned out to be anything but. Fury had the scare of his life and could quite easily have lost. And he could have no complaints if he had. In many ways, he got lucky.

Photo Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank