29 October 2023 , 01:14
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Francis Ngannou landed an uppercut on himself during his fight with heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Former UFC champion Ngannou silenced critics in his boxing debut against Fury when the pair met in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night to kick off Riyadh season in Saudi Arabia. The hard-hitting Cameroonian was told he would only last a couple rounds but he went the distance with Fury, who had to pick himself up off the canvas after being dropped with a left hook in the third round.
Fury looked unconvincing but managed to put his experience to good use and clinch a split decision, with the judges scoring it 94-95, 96-93 and 95-94 as he won by just a single point. Ngannou landed a ton of good punches through the fight, but eagle-eyed fans picked up on an embarrassing moment where he accidentally punched himself in the face whilst trying to uppercut Fury in the clinch.
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Ngannou didn't refute the scorecards after being beaten as he said: "I'm feeling great. I'm very happy. It didn't go my way. I want to thank Riyadh Season for giving me the opportunity to prove people wrong once again. I might be wounded, but I can bite. I'm ready to fight any time soon. We can run it back again and I'm sure I'll get better
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"This is my first boxing match, I'm not using it as an excuse. At first, I was nervous, this new sport. Now I know I can do it. I came out from a long recovery, long surgery. My training camp was over three months. I worked hard, I gave my best. I will go back with my team and look what I can do next to improve my game. I know the temperature of the water now and I'm ready to take over."
Fury faced off with fellow heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk after his win but their planned December 23 date is yet to be set in stone, likely because of the unexpected damage that Fury sustained in the crossover fight. That definitely wasn't in the script. Francis is a hell of a fighter, a strong, great puncher. He's a very awkward man, a great puncher and I respect him a lot.
"He wasn't coming forward, he was standing back and waiting for me. He's given me probably my toughest fight in 10 years. I got caught round the back of the head. I wasn't hurt. I got up and got back to my boxing. I don't know how close it was, but I got the win and that's how it was. You can see it here, ring rust. Fair play to Francis, he cut my head here. It was a good fight."