By: Jonathan Martin
Tyson Fury emerged victorious in a slip decision victory against Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Nguannou was a -750 underdog going into this fight with analysts and fighters around combat sports believing he was outclassed before the fight bell even rang.
The fighters felt each other out during the first two rounds - Furry rattling off his trademark feints while Nguanno looked for comfort in the ring.. Both landed several light blows but no serious damage.
Fury must have believed that he would effortlessly defeat Nguannou, In preparation, Nguannon endured three months of training camp under the tutelage of former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. Nguanno jolted the crowd when scoring a knockdown against Fury in the third round, countering with a big left hook off Fury’s own to the temple.F
Fury’s urgency picked up following the knockout, picking apart Ngannou with right jab and hook combinations. Ngannou looked to begin tiring by the seventh round whereas Fury continued finding success with the same one-two jab hook combination. Ngannou, however, displayed his ability to continue rolling with the punches..
The fight ended with Fury on a couple of cheeky punches in the tenth to get on the scorecard and escape with a victory.
“No, that definitely wasn’t in the script,” Fury said in his post-fight interview. “He’s a hell of a fighter. Strong, good puncher, a better boxer than we ever thought he’d be. ... He’s a very awkward man and a good puncher. I respect him a lot… . He was waiting to counter my punches. He’s given me one of my hardest fights in the past 10 years.”
“I’m feeling great,” Ngannou said after the fight. “I’m feeling fantastic. It didn’t go my way. I might come up short today. I might be wounded but I’ll come back. I’m just a fighter. I’m ready to fight any time soon. We can run it back again and I’m sure I’m going to get better. This was my first boxing match, I’m not giving any excuse. I’m going to work harder with a little more experience and come back better. Now I know I can do this shit. Get ready. A wolf is in the house.”