A bemused Mike Tyson could not hide his disapproval after the returning Tyson Fury was named the victor in his bout against MMA star Francis Ngannou. The ‘Gypsy King’ would triumph on a split decision as his opponent defied the odds to take the fight the distance.
Despite the British fighter having walked away from Boulevard Hall with his undefeated record still intact, it is clear that his namesake Tyson felt he was fortunate.The Manchester-born star’s victory would not exactly come with the approval of Tyson who was watching ringside.
Fury was knocked down by Ngannou in Round 3 of the 10-round heavyweight fight. Despite being down early in the contest in Riyadh, Fury eventually came out on top in a bout that proved far more of a contest than he could have bargained for.
When asked by a reporter whether he felt Ngannou was unlucky to have not won, he would remain coy, with a snarling retort as he fired back with: “How did you score it,” to which the reporter revealed: “I thought Francis won.”
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He rejected the notion that the Cameroonian was ‘robbed’ following the split decision via scores of 94-95, 96-93, 95-94. Tyson clearly felt that Fury was the worse fighter on the night, adding: “No, it wasn’t a robbery. But everyone knows the outcome.”
When it comes to the defeated Ngannou, there was no doubting his buoyant attitude despite losing in his first ever professional boxing bout. It appeared that the UFC heavyweight champion’s determination is to make a success of his transition to boxing despite the defeat.
“I’m feeling great, I’m feeling fantastic. I’m really happy,” he revealed. “I might be wounded but I’m not beaten today – I can bite. I’m just a fighter and I’m ready to fight anytime soon.
“We can run it back again and I’m sure I’m going to get better. This was my first boxing match, great experience. There’s no excuse, I know I came up short.”
After more than matching Fury throughout the ten rounds in Saudi Arabia, it was obvious that he felt that he had a lot more to give in the aftermath. He added: “I’m going to go back and work harder with a little bit of experience this time, a little more feeling of the game and I’ll come back stronger.
“At first I was a little nervous about this new sport that I never did. Now I know I can do this s***. Get ready because a wolf is in the house! I’m going to bite some s***.”