Boxing star with “fear in his eyes”
Fury, who has been rung, embarrasses himself despite winning against Ngannou
October 29, 2023, 7:30 a.m
Heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury wins the show fight against Francis Ngannou despite a knockdown on points. The Brit had unexpectedly big problems in the duel with the former UFC fighter, who was trained by boxing legend Mike Tyson.
Bread and circuses in a new dimension: The exhibition fight between boxing superstar Tyson Fury and former UFC star Francis Ngannou in the Saudi capital Riyadh can hardly be topped in terms of gigantism. The world’s elite sports crowds flocked to the Kingdom Arena. The Portuguese Ronaldo was there, as was the Brazilian one. There were also plenty of celebrities from the entertainment world at the ring, such as rapper Eminem and Kanye West, to watch the hyped duel for the title of “baddest man of the planet”. The boxer Fury won the fight after ten wild rounds by a narrow margin according to the judges’ decision (96:93, 95:94, 94:95), but Ngannou earned the title of “baddest man in the world”.
The verdict was hotly debated online. Many users even spoke of a scandal. Fury went into the unequal duel as the absolute favorite; in advance, the 35-year-old spoke of “never being able to show his face in public again” in the event of a defeat. The Franco-Cameroonian Ngannou had never fought according to conventional boxing rules before – and more than surprised everyone in Riyadh.
“Ngannou spread fear and terror”
Mike Tyson had Francis Ngannou well prepared.
(Photo: REUTERS)
“This victory is a disgrace for Fury,” says ntv.de boxing analyst Martin Armbruster. The 35-year-old Brit, who is an excellent fighter and an even bigger loudmouth, hardly got anything going against his unusual opponent. In the third round, the previously unbeaten Fury was even knocked down with a left hook, but was able to recover. Almost a sensation. Because no one had thought in advance that the UFC fighter, who had been inactive for a long time, would have even the slightest chance. But the opposite happened in the ring. “Ngannou spread fear and terror. It’s an absolute prestige victory for him. He definitely won the title as the baddest man on the planet. When Fury rang another left in the eighth round, I saw fear in him.”
It was actually supposed to be the big show for the Brit, who wanted to send bright greetings to the Ukrainian Oleksander Usyk with a spectacular victory. The plan was that on December 23rd there would be a duel between the boxing stars, the best heavyweights in the world at the moment. But the greetings weren’t gaudy, they didn’t exude fear in any way. At times, Fury’s attempts almost deserved pity. “He seemed like an Irish bar brawler to me, his attempts were clumsy, Ngannou didn’t respond to his feints at all. Fury didn’t understand that at all,” says Armbruster. That is perhaps the most flattering explanation for the Brit’s very poor performance, that he boxed against a man who had not learned classic boxing.
However, Armbruster did not see the verdict as a scandal. “I saw Fury just in the lead in six rounds, but that wasn’t a good boxing performance at all. At least he just managed to avoid the biggest possible embarrassment.” And the Brit may have had to win this fight in order not to torpedo the duel with Usyk.
“That definitely wasn’t planned.”
In preparation for this duel, the former UFC superstar was coached by Mike Tyson, once the “baddest man on the planet.” For the first time ever, the cage fighter ventured into a classic boxing ring against a professional. “He has a lot of knowledge about boxing. He will teach Francis a lot,” Fury praised the legend Tyson in an interview with the Daily Mail. And so it was. Ngannou, who according to the Guinness Book of Records has the hardest punch in the world, repeatedly hit Fury. On the other hand, the Brit’s blows bounced off the giant from Cameroon as if they were nothing more than caresses.
Tyson Fury said: “That was probably my toughest fight in ten years.”
(Photo: REUTERS)
“That was definitely not planned,” said Fury after the ten rounds in front of Usyk, the champion of the WBA, WBO and IBF associations. Ngannou “chopped his head off here,” Fury commented: “That was probably my toughest fight in ten years. Francis is a better boxer than we all thought.” The non-expert Ngannou, on the other hand, was not only upset about the verdict, but also really excited about his foray into new territory: “I know I fell short, I will come back and work harder. With a little more experience in this game I will better. Now I know I can do it,” said Ngannou. Incidentally, Fury is said to have earned a fee of around $50 million, and Ngannou was also paid handsomely.
What does this duel say for the expected giant fight between Fury and Usyk? Not too much, warns Armbruster. “You should definitely not make the mistake of writing Fury off now. It may very well be that he gets along much better with Usyk, a classic boxer. Especially since he has huge physical advantages. And he will now be a completely different person in training Demonstrate gait.” Have to lay.