Boxing

TYSON FURY showed off his battered face after his controversial win over Francis Ngannou.The Gypsy King came off looking far worse than the MMA fighter despite being given the win by a split decision.
Tyson Fury came out of the fight with Francis Ngannou with a black eye and a cut on his foreheadCredit: Reuters
He looked much worse than NgannouCredit: AP
Ngannou survived the bout appearing to be untouchedCredit: Reuters
Fury, 35, took on Ngannou in one of the most anticipated crossover fights in recent times.
However, the fight proved to be a lot harder than the boxing icon had bargained for.
The Battle of the Baddest went the distance, with many thinking that Ngannou should have been awarded the win.
Fury was controversially given the win by split decision with two judges scoring him higher out of the three.
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Fans even claimed that judges should be investigated amid claims that the result was fixed.
Despite winning the fight, Fury looked much worse off in the aftermath.
It could have been worse for Fury had Ngannou landed his ‘Superman punch’ in the final round.
The Morecambe boxer could be seen with a black eye and a cut on his forehead after taking the battering from the MMA star.
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Ngannou, on the other hand, appeared untouched as he had very little noticeable damage on his face from the ten rounds.
Fury struggled throughout the fight to dominate the boxing newbie.
The WBC champion even appeared to struggle with his own shorts as he had to keep pulling them up.
Fury even admitted that it was one of the hardest fights he has had in the last decade.
He said: “That definitely wasn’t in the script. Francis is a hell of a fighter, strong, a big puncher and a lot better boxer than we all thought he would ever be.’
“He’s a very awkward man, a good puncher and I respect him a lot. He wasn’t coming forward, standing back and waiting for me to land my punches and then trying to counter – he’s a good fighter.
“He’s given me probably one of my toughest fights in the last ten years.”
As a result of the fight, Fury was unable to confirm his December 23 clash with Oleksandr Usyk while the press conference was also cancelled. More

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.
Francis Ngannou floored Tyson Fury in round threeCredit: Getty
The Cameroonian believed he had won last night’s boutCredit: Reuters
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.”
The judges’ scorecards caused much consternation onlineCredit: X @MichaelBensonn
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.
Fury, 35, was left battered and bruised after the fightCredit: Reuters
The Gypsy King is expected to fight Oleksandr Usyk nextCredit: Getty More

TYSON FURY is NOT set to fight Oleksandr Usyk on December 23 following his controversial win over Francis Ngannou.That is according to The Gypsy King’s promoter Frank Warren who has revealed the undisputed clash with Usyk could be pushed back to March.
Tyson Fury was dropped by Francis Ngannou during his controversial split-decision winCredit: Getty
Frank Warren, centre left, has claimed a fight between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is now unlikely for DecemberCredit: Getty
Fury, 35, was dropped by Ngannou in the third round of their clash in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
It was a terrible performance from the WBC champion, with many believing Ngannou – making his professional boxing debut – did enough to secure the victory.
But two of the three judges saw it in favour of Fury – who also suffered a cut during the fight.
Now, according to the BBC via Michael Benson, promoter Warren has said the provisional date for Fury-Usyk of December 23 is “doubtful”.
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He also insisted that Riyadh season runs until March, so that is the latest the fight will happen.
Fury was non-committal during his post-fight interview when asked about Usyk.
He said: “Listen, I’m gonna go home, I’ve been in training camp now for 12 weeks. I’ve got a long tough old camp in.
“I’m gonna go home, take a long hard rest and then we’ll see what’s next for us.”
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When Usyk then got in the ring for a face-to-face, Fury added: “Listen, it’s been going on a long time.
“We were supposed to fight in April at Wembley. It never happened. Let’s do the fight over here [Saudi Arabia].
“His excellency Turki Al-Sheikh is going to put the fight on for all the belts, the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. Let’s go my brother, let’s go.”
Usyk added: “Let’s go.”
But now it appears fans will have to wait until 2024 to see the first ever four-belt undisputed world heavyweight title fight. More

PUNCH stats from Tyson Fury’s highly controversial win over Francis Ngannou appear to show that The Gypsy King deserved his dubious victory.Fury’s dismal split-decision win over former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou, 37, was labelled a “fix” by some fans as they believed the ex-MMA star did enough to have his hand raised.
Tyson Fury controversially beat Francis Ngannou by split decisionCredit: Reuters
Fury was knocked down by Ngannou in the third roundCredit: Getty
But the Gypsy King saw the judges’ decision go his wayCredit: AFP
Ngannou stunned the crowd in Saudi Arabia by dropping Fury in the third round.
And he enjoyed success throughout the contest in what was a complete shock to most fight fans.
However, the punch stats to do not support the widely-held opinion that Ngannou was robbed.
In fact, they paint a picture which suggests Fury’s victory was deserved.
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According to Compubox, the WBC champion landed more punches in six of the 10 rounds, with Ngannou claiming three rounds and one being drawn.
In terms of percentage of punches landing, Fury also beat Ngannou in seven of the rounds.
And the total number of punches landed were 71-59 in Fury’s favour, with the overall percentage of punches landed also showing that the undefeated boxer had the edge – 31.8 per cent to 25.5 per cent.
Power punches were the only stat in Ngannou’s favour – 37 to 32 over the 10 rounds.
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Yet despite the stats appearing to show that Fury rightfully had his hand raised, fans remain unconvinced.
And they were quick to claim that the numbers do not tell the whole story.
One said: “Doesn’t matter if they landed, Francis landed the much hard and more significant damaging shots. Look at both their faces.”
Another added: “Significant punches tell the story of this fight. Fury looked in more trouble on several occasions than Ngannou ever did.”
A third replied: “Fury only had 2 rounds where he landed more power punches, 90% of the shots Fury landed was pitter patter jabs that had nothing on them!”
The stats from the fight show Fury landed more punches overall and in the majority of the rounds
While a fourth responded: “Doesn’t tell the story of the fight. 12 more punches over the course of a 10 round fight Vs a UFC fighter who dropped him and had the more meaningful work whilst Fury did his best KSI impression.”
Despite the controversial nature of the decision, Ngannou was gracious in defeat.
He 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.”
Meanwhile, Fury 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.
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“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.” More

TYSON FURY suffered a wardrobe malfunction with his shorts during his controversial fight with Francis Ngannou.The Gyspy King laboured to a win over the MMA star in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Tyson Fury struggled to keep his shorts up for the whole fight vs Francis NgannouCredit: Reuters
Fury’s shorts kept appearing to slip downCredit: Getty
Fury wore bespoke Suzi Wong shortsCredit: Twitter @@Suz1Wong
Fury, 35, struggled to dominate the Cameroonian fighter, however it looked like he had an even bigger issue with his shorts.
It appeared that Fury’s shorts were too big for him during the fight.
That’s despite the Gypsy King proudly showing off about his “love handles” in the build-up.
Fury had Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway in stitches when discussing his figure earlier this week.
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Fury said: “I embrace the love handles. The love handles make me unique, it makes me a unique fighter to have my love handles.
“I represent all the fat people around the world, all the dad bods, all the chubsters, I fight for those people.”
And viewers of Saturday night’s Saudi superfight almost saw a lot more of Tyson’s body than they’d bargained for.
The Morcombe boxer could be seen fiddling and trying to adjust his shorts.
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Fury’s shorts ended up on the canvas when he was droppedCredit: Getty
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Fury kept on pulling them up as they appeared to start falling down.
SunSport boxing reporter Wally Downes Jr said: “Fury’s shorts were too big for him.
“Somehow they couldn’t fit over his 9st 11 love handles, and it was a disastrous performance.”
And fans reacted to the issue on social media.
One posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Someone get Tyson Fury some shorter shorts. He keeps fiddling.”
A second commented: “Whoever designed Fury’s shorts! Wrap it up.”
A third asked: “Why does Fury never have shorts that fit?”
A fourth wrote: “Wait for the Fury to blame his shorts for being the wrong size.”
A fifth said: “Let’s be honest, Fury struggled more with his shorts than with Ngannou.”
Another added: “Fury needs to sue his tailor. His shorts don’t fit, and that’s the difference in this fight.”
Fury won the fight on the night by split decision despite being knockdown by Ngannou.
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Fans were left in disbelief at how good the converted MMA star was as he managed to go toe to toe with the Gypsy King.
At one point viewers were questioning which one was the MMA fighter as Fury threw an illegal move. More

FRANCIS NGANNOU left fans astonished after attempting a “superman punch” in the final round of his controversial loss to Tyson Fury.Ngannou, 37, shocked the world by flooring WBC champion Fury, 35, in the third round of his professional boxing debut.
Francis Ngannou tried a superman punch in the final round against Tyson FuryCredit: X

Ngannou dropped Fury in the third round by lost a controversial split decisionCredit: Getty
Fury recovered to beat the count, before the fight went the full 10 rounds and The Gypsy King claimed a highly controversial split-decision win.
But in the final minute of the fight, Ngannou tried something that caught everyone’s attention.
The former UFC heavyweight champion leapt up and tried to connect with what is widely described as a “superman punch” – a move usually seen in MMA.
It involves flinging both feet off the canvas and attempting a huge shot to the head.
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Ngannou tried to set it up with the jab, but Fury was able to easily evade the flying punch.
Yet despite it failing to connect, fans loved the Cameroonian for trying it.
One said: “Ngannou trying that Superman punch was wild 😭.”
Another added: “The fact he threw a fucking Superman punch wins him the round purely based on being a bada**.”
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A third replied: “Bro you released ‘The superman punch’, it’s crazy!!!”
While a fourth responded: “Francis Ngannou, THAT superman punch was AWESOME.”
Many believe Ngannou did enough to get the win in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
But the ex-UFC man did not bemoan the controversial decision as he magnanimously claimed he had “come up short”.
Ngannou 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.” More

TYSON FURY’S post-fight press conference was CANCELLED following his highly controversial win over Francis Ngannou.The Gypsy King, 35, was expected to comfortably deal with the former UFC heavyweight champion, 37, who was making his professional boxing debut.
Francis Ngannou knocked Tyson Fury down in the third round of their fightCredit: Getty
Fury controversially won by split decision but his post-fight presser was called offCredit: Getty
But a stunned crowd in Saudi Arabia watched Ngannou floor Fury in the third round with a cuffing left hook to the top of the head.
WBC champion Fury, whose belt was not on the line, beat the count and saw out the 10 rounds, before the judges awarded him a split-decision win.
However, the result has been much-disputed, with many believing Ngannou did enough to pull off the astonishing upset.
And such was the underwhelming nature of Fury’s performance, his post-fight presser was called off.
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Had it gone ahead, it was reportedly set to be a lavish event as Fury prepared to take on Oleksandr Usyk on December 23.
But there are now doubts as to whether the undisputed clash will go ahead as planned.
Usyk was ringside for Fury-Ngannou and was left stunned when the WBC king was dropped in the third round.
When asked after the fight about the date for the Usyk clash, Fury said: “Listen, I’m gonna go home, I’ve been in training camp now for 12 weeks. I’ve got a long tough old camp in.
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“I’m gonna go home, take a long hard rest and then we’ll see what’s next for us.”
Fury’s promoter Frank Warren said: “He’s gonna rest up, that’s what’s gonna happen next and then he’s gonna make a decision of what he wants to do because he’s the boss.”
Usyk was later jettisoned into the ring and went face to face with Fury.
Fury was more buoyant by the time the two squared up and said: “Listen, it’s been going on a long time. We were supposed to fight in April at Wembley. It never happened. Let’s do the fight over here [Saudi Arabia].
“His excellency Turki Al-Sheikh is going to put the fight on for all the belts, the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. Let’s go my brother, let’s go.”
Usyk put it more simply, adding: “Let’s go.”
Presenter Josh Denzel then put it simply and said: “Will the fight be on December 23? It’s been touted across the boxing world. Will we see it on that date?”
Fury replied: “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!”
Denzel then turned to Usyk and said: “Can we agree 23rd of December?”
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A slightly confused Usyk replied: “Oui.”
Warren then went on to cast doubt on the December 23 date once more by admitting they could not commit until a cut on the top of Fury’s head had been assessed. More

TYSON FURY has refused to confirm whether his slated fight with Oleksandr Usyk will go ahead in December.It had been thought that the two have agreed to fight on December 23 in Saudi Arabia.
Tysom Fury struggled to beat Ngannou in a fight many felt he lostCredit: Getty
Usyk said he is ready for the challengeCredit: Getty
But Fury’s shambolic performance against MMA star Francis Ngannou has thrown that date into doubt.
Ngannou knocked Fury down in the third round and inflicted heavy bruising and a cut to the face of the champion over the ten rounds.
Fury struggled to land any meaningful punches as he looked to keep the MMA heavyweight at range.
Throughout the fight, Ngannou looked to be the more dominant and many were left shocked by the result that had Fury winning by a 2-1 split decision.
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After the bout, Fury refused to commit to a date.
Presenter Josh Denzel asked Fury and promoter Frank Warren whether the fight on December 23 would still be happening.
Warren interjected to diplomatically say: “He’s gonna rest up, that’s what’s gonna happen next and then he’s gonna make a decision of what he wants to do because he’s the boss.”
A cagey Fury then said: “Listen, I’m gonna go home, I’ve been in training camp now for 12 weeks. I’ve got a long tough old camp in. I’m gonna go home, take a long hard rest and then we’ll see what’s next for us.”
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Usyk was later jettisoned into the ring and went face to face with Fury.
Fury was more buoyant by the time the two squared up and said: “Listen, it’s been going on a long time. We were supposed to fight in April at Wembley. It never happened. Let’s do the fight over here [Saudi Arabia].
“His excellency Turki Al-Sheikh is going to put the fight on for all the belts, the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. Let’s go my brother, let’s go.”
Usyk put it more simply, and said: “Let’s go.”
Denzel then put it simply and said: “Will the fight be on December 23? It’s been touted across the boxing world. Will we see it on that date?”
Fury replied: “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!”
Denzel then turned to Usyk and said: “Can we agree 23rd of December?”
A slightly confused Usyk replied: “Oui.”
The two squared up in the ringCredit: GETTY
Frank Warren interjected to say: “He speaks perfect English! Don’t you worry about that.”
After Usyk said he wanted the fight again, Denzel asked Warren if the fight would happen.
Warren poured cold water on the speculation and said no decision coudl be made until a cut on Fury’s head was loooked at.
He added: “I don’t think the date will be announced yet. I don’t, in my opinion, that’s where we go.
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“But the fight is wanted. It’s done, this man done it here [pointing to Al-Sheikh]. This fight is on, these guys both want it and it’s just a matter of now setting a date.
“Tyson’s got a cut there, so there’s no good saying a date whilst he’s got a cut on the top of his head. But this fight is on. It’s the biggest fight in boxing.” More