In a thrilling heavyweight boxing bout held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tyson Fury narrowly defeated Francis Ngannou, the Cameroonian-French MMA fighter, via a split decision.
Gatekeepers News reports that the highlight of the match came in the third round when Ngannou sent Fury to the canvas with a powerful left hook.
Despite this knockdown, the British boxer managed to recover and complete the 10-round non-title contest. The judges’ scorecards were split, with two judges favoring Fury with scores of 96-93 and 95-94, while one judge gave the fight a score of 95-94 in favor of Ngannou.
Reflecting on the victory, Tyson Fury, the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight champion, acknowledged that Ngannou had given him “one of my toughest fights of the last 10 years.” Fury explained, “That definitely wasn’t in the script. I got caught round the back of the head [for the knockdown]. I wasn’t hurt. I got up and got back to my boxing. He’s an awkward man and a good puncher, and I respect him a lot. He’s given me one of my toughest fights of the last 10 years.”
Notably, this fight marked Ngannou’s professional boxing debut after a successful stint in the UFC, where he held the heavyweight championship.
His departure from the UFC was due to a contractual dispute, and he subsequently joined the Professional Fighters League (PFL), allowing him to pursue his boxing ambitions.
Ngannou received training for this fight from the legendary Mike Tyson, one of the greatest boxers in history, adding intrigue and excitement to the match.
