Tyson Fury falls to the canvas, but Francis defeats Nagano

ESPN DigitalOctober 28, 2023, 7:35 PM ETReading: 5 min.

Fury defeats Nagano by split decision

Tyson Fury outlasted Francis Naginno by split decision in the ‘Battle of the Worst’ in Riyadh.

World boxing champion Tyson Fury was knocked down by martial artist Francis Ngannou, but a split decision was enough to defeat him.

English Tyson Fury, World Heavyweight Champion of World Boxing Council (WBC), fell against the Cameroonian Francis NaganoFormer heavyweight champion UFCBut they still managed to defeat him by split decision in a boxing match at the Boulevard Hall in Saudi Arabia.

Judges Alan Krebs and Juan Carlos Pelayo voted 95-94 and 96-93 in Fury’s favor, respectively, while Ed Garner scored a 95-94 win over Naganoo.

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“It’s definitely not in the script. He’s a great fighter. He’s strong, a great boxer and a better boxer than we thought,” Fury said after the fight. “He’s a very strange man, he’s a good boxer and I respect him a lot before and after the fight.

A downward blow from the Cameroonian dispatched the champion in the third round WBC And No. 1 in the ESPN heavyweight rankings.

Fury’s shocked look when he was on the canvas reflected his surprise and anticipation that the rest of the fight wasn’t going to go as he had budgeted.

“It was very uncomfortable. He wouldn’t get close. He backed off and waited for me to throw my punches and then tried to counter. He’s a good fighter. He gave me one of my hardest fights in the last 10 years,” said the Briton.

Of his fall, Fury explained: “It’s part of boxing. He caught me behind the head again. My legs didn’t hurt or anything. I was fine. I got up. That’s it. I went back. Boxing.

Fury called on his boxing IQ to stop the power of the Cameroonian, who came out very strong with his jab and footwork despite a setback in his debut as a specialist in the Fistiana art.

The numbers provided by Compubox reflect the balance of competition. Fury landed 71 punches (39 jabs and 32 power) to Nagano’s 59 (22 jabs and 37 power). In addition, the Englishman outnumbered his opponent in the number of blows landed in six of the 10 rounds, which coincided with the judges’ decision.

Ngannou insisted that he was very proud of his performance and is now ready to continue his boxing career. “He could have thrown more punches, but I proved a lot of people wrong again, I’m a better fighter.

“I hope we can do it again and I’ll do better. It’s my first boxing match. It’s a great experience. I’m not making any excuses. I know I lost. But I’m going to come back and fight harder with a little more experience and a little more sportsmanship. Working hard, I will come back stronger.

“At first, I was a little nervous, it’s a new sport I’ve never practiced. Now I know I can do this stupid thing. So get ready! I’m a wolf and I’m ready to bite a lot of sheep,” the Cameroonian emphasized.

At the end of the fight, the English fighter was not in a good position, the unified heavyweight king and pound-for-pound ranked No.3, the Ukrainian. Oleksandr Usykstepped into the ring to face the British boxer.

Both fighters confirmed that the next fight between them will be for four belts and the status of the undisputed champion of the most attractive division in boxing.

Fury’s championship is not at stake in this fight against Ngannou. Regulation boxing ring Up to 10 rounds.

Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs), 35, is coming off two TKO wins, a sixth-round TKO of Dillian White in April 2022 and a 10th-round TKO of Derek Chisora in December.

Fury is expected to face the unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk For the undisputed heavyweight championship, but when talks to end the fight broke down in March, Fury set his sights on Ngannou despite already having a deal in place to fight Usyk.

The 37-year-old Ngannou, who trains in Las Vegas, won the UFC heavyweight championship in March 2021 at UFC 260 at UFC 260. Defended the belt against Cyril Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022. A year later, Ngannou left the UFC. and signed with the PFL, which allowed him to fulfill his dream of debuting as a professional boxer.

Francis Naginno knocked out Tyson Fury with a left hook in the 3rd round.Justin Setterfield/Getty Images