Tyson Fury defeated Francis Ngannou in a split decision victory on October 28, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight was billed as the “Battle of the Baddest” and was one of the most anticipated crossover fights in history.
Fury, the reigning WBC heavyweight champion, was the favorite to win the fight, but Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, was not an easy opponent for the Gypsy King by any stretch of imagination. Ngannou is known for his incredible punching power, and he was able to land some heavy shots on Fury throughout the fight.
However, Fury was able to use his superior boxing skills to keep Ngannou at bay. He was also able to weather the storm early on and come back strong in the later rounds. In the end, the judges scored the fight 96-93, 95-94, and 95-94 in favor of Fury.
After the fight, Fury said that Ngannou gave him the toughest fight of his career.
“Francis Ngannou gave me a better fight than all the boxers did in the last 10 years,” Fury said. “I think that’s been my toughest fight I’ve had for years. Maybe he won the 10th round and he maybe won one other round, but other than that I was just boxing, just boxing, and he couldn’t really close the distance down on me. So there are no excuses. You’re in there on the night. I’ve done the best I could. That’s it.”
Ngannou was gracious in defeat and praised Fury for his boxing skills.
“I’m feeling great. I’m very happy,” Ngannou said. ““I’m ready to fight any time soon. We can run it back again and I’m sure I’ll get better. This is my first boxing match, I’m not using it as an excuse. At first, I was nervous, this new sport. Now I know I can do it..”
The Fury-Ngannou fight was a historic event in boxing arena. The Gypsy King won the battle but Ngannou definitely surprised with his boxing skills and punching strength. He was agile and swift, why he wouldn’t be, Mike Tyson trained the UFC heavyweight champion and turned him into a pro boxer in no time.
Fury proved that he is the best heavyweight boxer in the world, and Ngannou showed that he is one of the most dangerous strikers in combat sports. There is high possibility that these two big units of combat sports will come face to face once again for another showdown.
