Tyson Fury beats Francis Ngannou via split decision in heavyweight bout
Tyson Fury beat Francis Ngannou via split decision in a huge heavyweight clash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The bout, branded 'Battle of the Baddest', saw undefeated WBC world heavyweight champion Fury take on former UFC heavyweight king Ngannou, who made his boxing debut.
A slew of celebrities and A-list stars were in attendance, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Eminem, Conor McGregor, Kanye West, Ronaldo Nazario and Vince McMahon.
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The fight had been in the works for a while ever since Ngannou got in the ring after Fury's knockout win over Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in April 2022.
Ngannou, who has been trained by the legendary Mike Tyson, parted company with UFC while still holding the heavyweight title and signed with the PFL, who allowed him to compete in boxing bouts.
The WBC gave Fury their blessing and so the pair took part in a 10-round main event contest at the Kingdom Arena.
Fury is rumoured to be banking £50 million in his purse, with Ngannou receiving £10 million - the biggest payday of his career by far.
The Gypsy King is still slated to return to Saudi to take on Oleksandr Usyk in a heavyweight unification fight after the two signed their respective contracts.
Having bumped into Fury in Riyadh, the Ukrainian was ringside for the event.
Ngannou's only boxing experience prior to this was two amateur fights back in his native Cameroon but he made a huge impression in his debut.
The Predator came to fight and showed why he is considered to be the most powerful puncher in the world by causing some serious damage to Fury's face.
And in the third round, he put Fury on the deck with a superb left hand that shook his opponent.
He then proceeded to dance in front of Fury, a response to the trash-talking he had to contend with.
Ngannou's fitness was also extremely commendable and he didn't look gassed in the slightest despite the physical exertion.
The fight went the distance and to the judges' scorecards, where Fury won a close decision.
One judge had Ngannou as the victor with the other two going for Fury.
The 37-year-old expressed his interest in running it back with Fury in the future after producing a fine display.
Topics: Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou
Josh Lawless