*** Highlights! Ngannou Nearly Sleeps Fury, Loses Razor-Thin Decision ***
Francis Ngannou may have come up short in becoming the first fighter to defeat heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury earlier tonight (Sat., Oct. 28, 2023) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but the former UFC champion did so well that he still shocked the living daylights out of the combat community.
Ngannou was a +1000 underdog in this fight, but looked just as good as Fury from the opening bell. Fury was able to recover from a massive knockdown in the third round and tried to implement his usual tactics. However, Ngannou was showing great technique and walked through every punch that Fury landed.
While Fury ended up walking away with the split-decision victory (official scorecard HERE), this honestly could have gone either way. It was a such a great performance by Ngannou and a true rude-awakening for Fury. Most would love to see the two heavyweights run it back for a rematch, but is that something that could happen?
“I might be wounded, but I can bite,” said Ngannou during his post-fight interview. “I’m just a fighter and I’m ready to fight anytime soon. We can run it back again and I’m sure I’m going to get better.
“This was my first boxing match. Great experience. I’m not giving any excuse. I know I come up short, but I’m going to go back and work harder.
“Now I know I can do this shit. Hey, baby. Get ready. The wolf is in the house.”
Fury, who already has a heavyweight title fight against Oleksandr Usyk in the works for this coming December, seemed opened to a rematch as well. However, he would like to have his shot at Usyk before entertaining another bout with “Predator.”
“There’s no rematch clause either way,” said Fury. “Listen, I would like to do it again down the line. I’m sure Francis would like to do it as well. But we got this man [Oleksandr Usyk] to deal with next. That’s what’s next for us.”
What do you think, fight fans? Should Fury and Ngannou run it back? Who has the edge in the rematch?
Let’s discuss!
For complete Fury vs. Ngannou results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.