Francis Ngannou wanted to enter the boxing ring for a long time and he showed why emphatically on October 28, 2023, in the Kingdom Arena, Riyadh. The former UFC Heavyweight champion tried to do the impossible in his first attempt at boxing – beat the undefeated WBC Heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury. The Cameroonian-French fighter expectedly failed, however, he unexpectedly put up an extraordinary fight.
Some of the biggest moments in the fight came through Ngannou’s left hand and Fury’s face. From the first round itself, Ngannou showed his real intent. He was not there to earn the biggest paycheck of his life, he was there to fight and win. His extraordinary power was on display as he punched Fury. The British boxer responded strongly but not as strongly as fans would have expected.
Francis Ngannou knocked down Tyson Fury and he did a little dance in his face. pic.twitter.com/b0TK2KJJ2t
— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) October 28, 2023
In the second round, Ngannou’s quick and powerful left hand drew first blood. Fury was bleeding from his forehead. However, in the third round, Ngannou took it a notch higher and knocked Fury down. The crowd at the Kingdom Arena was shocked and ecstatic. You don’t regularly see the Heavyweight on the canvas. Fury, who is accustomed to putting his opponents down, was surprised at his own situation.
Moreover, Ngannou danced in Fury’s face as the Brit was knocked down and tried to get back up soon. One fan on X wrote, “MMA WON!”
MMA WON! https://t.co/UqrjW7YANU
— Hotep Davei 𝕏 (@Davei_Boi) October 28, 2023
Another fan wrote, “They doubted Ngannou too much!”
Meanwhile, another fan claimed, “Boxing fell off.”
Ngannou became only the third boxer to knock Fury down after Deontay Wilder and Neven Pajkic. However, this was not enough for Ngannou to pull off the win.
Francis Ngannou’s extraordinary knockdown could not secure him a victory against Tyson Fury
After Ngannou knocked Fury down in the third round, the Cameroonian continued to land strong punches. Fury, on the other hand, tried to get back in the game after his surprise knockdown and did well.
The fight, ultimately, went the distance. Every now and then it seemed like Fury would get the upper hand because Ngannou would get tired. However, the MMA fighter had come prepared to go the distance. He looked tired in the final rounds but he never let his guard down. Fury kept looking for an opening but could not find any.
#FuryNgannou result: Tyson Fury defeats Francis Ngannou via split decision (94-95, 96-93, 95-94) pic.twitter.com/xeRZYQX9Oi
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) October 28, 2023
After the completion of the 10 rounds, there was great mutual respect shown between the fighters. They embraced each other after putting up a show for the world. Many expected Ngannou to get the win. However, according to the judges, that was not part of the plan. Fury won the bout via a split decision as the judges scored the bout 94-95, 96-93, and 95-94.
