Bruised Tyson Fury shrugs off knockdown, accuses Ngannou of illegal shot

Adam Miller

When the highly anticipated matchup between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou was announced, fans and experts alike anticipated a one-sided victory for Fury. However, the clash in Riyadh proved to be a different story.

Fury faced one of the most formidable challenges of his career. Ngannou delivered a powerful left hook that floored the WBC world heavyweight champion in the third round.

Despite hitting the canvas, Tyson Fury downplayed the knockdown and suggested it was an illegal blow to the back of his head.

In an interview with Boxing King Media, he explained: “He punches hard, but it was [a] bit like a hook on the back of the head, the knockdown in [the] round, whatever it was, three? But apart from that, I didn’t get [hit] with really much else.”

Contrary to Fury’s claims of minimal damage, images of the bout reveal clear indications of Fury absorbing significant shots during the bout.

Ironically, Fury inadvertently landed an illegal blow on Ngannou during the bout. He ended up connecting an unintentional elbow.

Many within the boxing community believe that Fury was unjustly denied a victory in Riyadh. Given the controversial ending, a rematch between these heavyweight titans remains a possibility.

Looking ahead, Tyson Fury is set to face Oleksandr Usyk in a highly anticipated undisputed heavyweight clash. The match is scheduled for later in December or the following year.

It is evident that Tyson Fury’s lackluster performance against Francis Ngannou disappointed the boxing world.

WBA light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol expressed his surprise and disappointment during an interview. He asserted that this version of Fury would pose little challenge for Oleksandr Usyk in their upcoming showdown.

He said: “Tyson was so bad today, to be honest… [Ngannou has] got a good punch [Tyson] didn’t see it [coming]. I wish him to have a good training camp before Usyk because if we see Tyson like this against Usyk, we all know what will [happen]… Usky [is] the favorite now. I [see] him as the big favorite for the fight.”