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Tyson Fury beat Francis Ngannou by split decision to win their crossover fight in one of the "biggest robberies" in boxing history.
The Gypsy King secured a hard-earned victory in front of a packed out Saudi Arabia crowd filled to the brim with stars. Fury was caught by surprise at the boxing prowess of his former UFC champion opponent but was able to to defend his flawless boxing record.
He was dropped with a vicious left hook in the third round, after which he appeared clearly dazed. Yet the 35-year-old managed to hold strong and chip away at his opponent over the following rounds enough to clinch a decision victory.
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The judges scored the bout 96-93, 95-94 and 94-95 in favour of Fury. But the decision came as somewhat of a surprise due to Ngannou seemingly having been the more dominant fighter.
And the reaction of the fans showed exactly how they felt as they booed the decision. Fury, meanwhile, was under no illusion over the difficulty of his contest.
What did you think of the fight? Let us know in the comments section.
The WBC champion said: “That definitely wasn’t in the script. He’s a lot better of a boxer than we thought he’d be. He’s a very awkward man, and he’s a good puncher, and I respect him a lot.
"He was very awkward, he wasn’t coming forward; he was waiting for me to throw my punches then looking to counter. It’s a part of boxing [the knockdown], I got caught behind the head again. I got up and it was alright; I got back to my boxing.
“I don’t know how close it was, but I got the win and that’s what it is. I’ve been out the ring a long time again. You can see it in here – ring rust, everything. No excuses, though. He’s cut me across the eye there. It was a good, rough fight. Perfect.”
Meanwhile, a gracious Ngannou said post-fight: "I am feeling great, fantastic. It didn’t go my way, I might be beaten today, I might be wounded, but I can bite. We can run it back again, and I’m sure I’m gonna get better. This was my first boxing match, great experience.
“I’m not gonna give any excuse, I know I came up short, but I’m gonna come back with a little more experience of the game.
“At first I was a little nervous, now I know I can do this s***. The wolf is in the house. Tonight was to feel the water, and now I know the temperature.
“I came out from a long recovery and surgery, three months and a half. I worked hard and gave my best. I know myself. We’ll gather with my team and what we can do next to improve my game.”
Despite the controversial outcome, it appears the Cameroonian is unlikely to be rewarded with a rematch. That is due to the lack of a rematch clause in the fight contract.
Fury will instead turn his attention to taking on Oleksandr Usyk in a unification fight. However, the original fight date pencilled in for December 23 looks somewhat unlikely given the damage sustained by Fury, who sported a nasty cut on his forehead as he exited the ring.
- Tyson Fury
- Boxing
- MMA
- Breaking News
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