FRANCIS NGANNOU could soon find himself occupying a spot in the WBC’s heavyweight rankings.
The former UFC heavyweight champion shocked the world last weekend by going the distance with the undefeated Tyson Fury.
Ngannou, 37, dropped The Gypsy King in the third round of their Saudi showdown but was cruelly robbed of a historic victory by the judges.
The MMA man-mountain showcased great hands and poise in his professional boxing debut, so much so that WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman believes he’s worthy of a spot in their rankings.
He told Sky Sports: “What I personally witnessed last night is a solid boxer, who deserves to be ranked by the WBC and I will make such recommendations to the ratings committee.”
It remains to be seen whether the WBC stays true to its word and puts The Predator in their rankings.
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But there is a good chance Ngannou will soon be ranked by the Mexican sanctioning body as they placed Tommy Fury in their cruiserweight rankings after his February victory over Jake Paul.
YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul – who is set to return to the ring on December 15 – would have also earned a spot in the rankings had he won the Saudi showdown.
Fury’s narrow victory over PFL pounder Ngannou preserved his undisputed heavyweight title fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
SunSport understands December 23 was the date agreed when both teams finalised their multi-million-pound deal last month.
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But Fury’s promoter Frank Warren claims the December dust-up is now officially OFF the table.
The Queensberry Promotions chief said: “It is too soon to talk about what Tyson does right now but the Usyk fight is signed.
“It will go ahead but it will not be on the 23rd. It was crazy for some people to suggest that it could still go ahead on the 23rd.
“He is 35 years old and has just done a 12-week training camp and has just been in a tough fight.
“He needs a break with his family, he needs to switch off and we will announce the date when we are ready. But the fight is signed. The fight will happen.
“It will happen early in the new year, late January or February. It will be up to Tyson, it is his body.
“He wasn’t smashed to bits at all but he needs a break.”
Undefeated unified heavyweight champion Usyk, however, insists it’s December 23 or bust for their historic showdown.
He told Boxing King Media: “Uncle Frank says some sneaky things.
“We have a contract that says the fight has to take place on Dec 23rd.
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“Let Fury vacate his title first, then he can take his rest… Tyson – we must fight, we must do it, Dec 23rd.
“See you in the ring. I love you.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
