Francis Ngannou didn’t leave Riyadh with an official victory, but he left with a moral victory. The former UFC champion and current PFL fighter went head-to-head in boxing with the reigning world heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, in a superfight held in Saudi Arabia this Saturday.
The Cameroonian knocked down the British fighter with a knockdown in the third round, went the distance, and put up a strong fight. However, the judges awarded the victory to the World Boxing Council (WBC) champion by split decision (95-94 Ngannou, 96-93 Fury, 95-94 Fury).
Boxing had long been a dream for Ngannou, gaining momentum when he became the UFC heavyweight champion in March 2021, drawing the attention of Tyson Fury. Despite this, many experts criticized the idea, suggesting that a professional boxer would outclass the MMA fighter. UFC President Dana White refused to release Ngannou for the superfight, claiming there would be no public interest. The Cameroonian had to wait until his contract with the organization ended to pursue his dream.
The audience, however, showed up in force. The arena in Riyadh was packed, not only with regular fans but also with celebrities, not only from boxing and MMA but also from other sports. Names like Ronaldo Nazário, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Luís Figo, and Rio Ferdinand from football, as well as rappers and entrepreneurs Kanye West and Eminem, were in attendance. In addition, ring legends such as Evander Holyfield, Sugar Ray Leonard, Manny Pacquiao, and Roy Jones Jr, as well as cage legends like Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Rampage Jackson, Conor McGregor, Junior Cigano, and Frank Mir, were present.
In the fight itself, Ngannou proved he belonged in the ring with Fury. The former UFC champion started slowly but landed hard punches, including a knockdown – only the seventh in the British fighter’s career, who remained undefeated in 35 official boxing matches. Heading into the final two rounds, the Cameroonian was leading on the scorecards of many observers, and Fury won thanks to better stamina.
Fury wasted no time throwing a right cross as soon as the fight began. The first one missed. But shortly after, the Englishman landed a good cross. Ngannou responded with a solid right straight. The Cameroonian tried to close the distance with jabs, and Fury answered with effective body jabs. Ngannou connected with a right hook, and Fury countered with a powerful right straight.
Ngannou continued his attack in the second round, landing solid left hooks to the body and utilizing clinches to throw uppercuts. Fury felt the need to respond and landed good jabs. The British fighter surprised by repeatedly seeking the clinch himself. Ngannou gained confidence for the third round, where he aggressively used the jab and straight. Fury defended well with his glove and head movement. The world champion switched to a southpaw stance, but it didn’t work out; he took a left counter from Ngannou and went down, the first knockdown of the fight.
The Cameroonian smelled blood. At the beginning of the fourth round, the former MMA champion landed a jab and a straight right away. Fury again sought the clinch, perhaps trying to tire the challenger. The plan almost backfired as the British fighter lost his balance in the clinch and had to grab onto the ropes.
Ngannou threw everything at Fury, and Fury narrowly avoided being hit, driving the crowd wild. However, in the fifth round, the MMA fighter seemed to slow down. Fury began to move more comfortably and landed a solid straight, which Ngannou absorbed. By this point, Ngannou was more rooted to the ground, attempting to work on counterattacks. Fury, at this stage, was faster and taunting his opponent with jabs while dancing around the ring.
Ngannou switched to a southpaw stance in the seventh round. He landed a solid left straight, making Fury immediately switch back to an orthodox stance. The Cameroonian connected with two more solid left straights, one to the face and one to the body. In the eighth round, Fury once again landed good right crosses, but Ngannou replied with a hard left straight. After a clinch, Ngannou threw a sequence of crosses, and Fury countered with a hard right cross. They exchanged blows freely in the best round so far.
Ngannou landed two more solid crosses in the ninth round but became more planted. Fury responded with more movement, connecting with jabs and staying out of the MMA fighter’s reach. They entered the tenth round with many experts calling the fight even. Ngannou began to move forward again, although at a slower pace. The audience tried to support him with cries of “Francis! Francis!” It was the most studied round of all. In the latter half, Fury returned to connecting with his jabs. Ngannou attempted a “Superman punch,” without success.
That wasn’t in the script! Francis is a great fighter, strong, and a much better boxer than we expected. He’s a very strange guy, a good puncher, and I respect him a lot. He wasn’t coming forward; he was trying to counterpunch and gave me perhaps my toughest fight in the last 10 years – acknowledged Tyson Fury, who said he didn’t get hurt much from the knockdown. In addition, he avoided discussing the potential unification fight for the heavyweight belts against Oleksander Usyk, speculated for December.
- I’m very happy. It didn’t end as I wanted, but I’d like to thank the opportunity to prove people wrong again. I may be a novice, but I can bite. I’m a fighter, and I can fight anytime. This was my first boxing match, and it was a great experience. I won’t make excuses. I’ll come back with more experience and strength. At the beginning, I was nervous, but now I know I can do this. Get ready! – said Ngannou.
- I came from a long recovery, from surgery, but I don’t make any excuses. I worked hard, did my best, and I know my capabilities. My team and I will see what to improve next. Today was fear of the water, and now I know the water temperature, and I’m ready to come here and dominate – added the Cameroonian.
