BOXING fans have cried conspiracy in the wake of Tyson Fury’s controversial split decision victory over Francis Ngannou.
The Gypsy King was thrown around the ring in Riyadh by his likeable boxing debutant opponent last night.
Ngannou, 37, dropped Fury in a dominant round three, and even put the Brit’s mega-clash with Oleksandr Usyk in jeopardy by cutting the 6ft 9in collosus.
Judge Ed Garner scored the bout 95-94 in favour of former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou.
But when the other cards revealed that Alan Krebs and Juan Carlos Pelayo had favoured Fury 95-94 and, staggeringly, 96-93 respectively – some fans smelled a rat.
As the scorecards began to circulate online, one social media user instantly claimed: “Rigged.”
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While a second cried: “Daylight robbery. Francis won that fight and Fury ought to be ashamed of himself.”
A third fumed: “Robbery in Riyadh.”
And a fourth boldly vowed: “2 judges giving round 7 to fury explains that this sport is rigged.”
A fifth wrote: “All over the place.”
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While a sixth exclaimed: “This is disgusting.”
Another added: “The judge who gave a 96-93 should be investigated.”
And a further social media user posted: “Boxing is finished, the sport we’ve all loved is finished.”
Ngannou himself had no complaints in his post-fight interview.
The Cameroonian said: “We can run it back again and I’m sure I’m gonna get better. This was my first boxing match, [it was] a great experience.
“I’m not giving any excuses, I know I came up short. But I’m gonna go back and work harder.
“And with a little bit more experience and a little more feeling for the game and come back even stronger.”
Fury, meanwhile, added: “That definitely wasn’t in the script. Francis is a hell of a fighter.
“He’s strong, he’s a big puncher and a lot better boxer than we thought he’d ever be.”
The 35-year-old added: “He’s a very awkward man and he’s a very good puncher.
“And I respect him a lot, before the fight and after the fight.”
Fury has been expected to give the green light to a December 23 winner-takes-all unification bout with Usyk.
After last night’s bout, however, he refused to confirm when the much-anticipated fight would go ahead.
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Asked about it, he said: “Listen it’s not up to me, I’m a fighter and he’s a fighter. I’m sure we could go now. Let’s go now if you want!”
Promoter Frank Warren also confirmed that the December 23 date is in doubt, claiming that the fight could go ahead as late as March.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
