Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou squared off in a long-awaited boxing match on Saturday, October 28 at Boulevard Hall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The blockbuster showdown pitted British WBC and lineal heavyweight champion against former UFC heavyweight champion of Cameroon.
The list of guests in attendance saw some of the biggest names of boxing and MMA including Amir Khan, Antonio Tarver, Conor McGregor, Junior Dos Santos, Oscar De La Hoya, Erik Morales, Larry Holmes, Roberto Duran, Naseem Hamed, Manny Pacquiao, Lennox Lewis, Shannon Briggs. Most predicted “The Gypsy King” to come out on top by knockout. Legendary football player Ronaldo said it didn’t matter who’d win, but to witness a good show.
The scheduled for 10 rounds bout went the full distance. Ngannou scored a knockout in the third round sending Fury to the canvas with a big left hook. The latter, nevertheless, took the victory by split decision. The scores were 94-95, 96-93, 95-94.
“I feel like I won the fight,” Ngannou said in the locker room after the fight. “I knocked him down one round and then we pretty much get into each other couple time. I get some good rounds, so I really [believe that] in addition of the knockdown… I really believe that I could have won that fight. It’s not like he dominated me.”
“He was a good fighter, “Fury said. “Obviously he was good. Went the 10-round distance, it was a good fight. We’ve entertained. We’ve had a good fight, 10 rounds, happy days. Go home now, spend some time with family, recover and fight Usyk, happy days.”
In his next fight on December 23 also in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Fury is expected to face undefeated unified WBA, WBO and IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine for the undisputed title. Post-fight against Ngannou, the pair went face to face inside the ring.
In Australia, the event aired live on Sunday, October 29.
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