28 October 2023 , 23:29
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Baddest man on the planet? Not on that showing.
Tyson Fury survived a stunning knockdown to rally and beat Francis Ngannou by the slimmest of margins after an unconvincing performance against a man making his professional debut. Fury looked laboured throughout and, for a few seconds of round three, appeared to have blown his chances of fighting Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed title.
Ngannou landed a left hook to the head which sent the boxing world champion crashing to the canvas - but Fury, of course, rose, recovered, and navigated his way to the final bell. Ngannou celebrated wildly as the judges tallied their scores - but it was Fury who had his hand raised when they were delivered after a considerable wait; 94-95, 96-93 and 95-94.
“That definitely wasn’t in the script,” admitted Fury. “Francis is a hell of a fighter. He’s strong, a big puncher and a much better boxer than we thought he would be. He’s a very awkward man and he’s a good puncher and I respect him a lot; before the fight and after. He was very awkward, he wasn’t coming forward, he was standing waiting for me to throw then countering.
“I got caught, I wasn’t hurt and I got back up and got back to my boxing. I don’t know how close it was but I got the win. I’ve been out of the ring a long time and you can see the ring rust.” Ngannou added: “I feel great, I feel fantastic. I'm very happy; it didn’t go my way and I may have come up short today but I’m a fighter and I’m ready to fight again soon. We can run it back again and I’m sure I can do better.”
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Francis Ngannou after knocking down Tyson Fury (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)Fans in the 22,000-seater arena, which had been built in just 90 days, were treated to a pre-fight extravaganza of music, dance and light (and a no doubt tub-thumping message from their great leader). And as the show came to a crescendo, somewhere a button was pushed and the ring rose slowly though the floor and into pride of place.
At ringside, Conor McGregor hugged Ronaldo and the footballer posed for photos with ex-Real Madrid teammate Figo. Mike Tyson, who was part of Ngannou’s team, followed, but the biggest clamour was for Cristiano Ronaldo who now plies his trade in the Kingdom.
In perhaps a sign of things to come, Usyk was given a rapturous reception when he appeared on the big screen as he waited confirmation of his Christmas plans. Eventually, at 1.20am, the familiar notes of Sweet Caroline belted out; even in Saudi Arabia there is no escape.
Ngannou walked first, his previous boxing experience amounting to two amateur fights in his native Cameroon. Dressed in a shimmering gold robe, he saluted the crowd as Fury, a crown atop his head, began his walk to Dolly Parton’s classic Jolene. He was briefly transported to a throne before he dispensed with the pageantry to jog to the ring, followed somewhat breathlessly by his father and brother.
Fury throws a jab at Ngannou (Getty Images)Once in the ring, Fury raced straight for Ngannou in the opposite corner. The restraint the men showed would not last, however, as Fury, stripped and raring to go long before his opponent, ran from his corner threw a right hand almost before the echoes of the first bell had faded.
The Brit adopted his familiar languid stance and allowed Ngannou to push the action but the MMA fighter’s punches lacked conviction as they fell short. Fury landed a one-two to ensure he took the opening session. Fury has long insisted he would swap the ring for the cage and at times in the second round appeared determined to take Ngannou to the canvas. He had by now switched to southpaw as his movement continued to trouble his rival.
Ngannou finally connected in the third round as a left hook found its mark. And he dropped Fury soon after, the same shot connecting to the Brit’s temple and scrambling his senses. Fury rose, as he had done so often before, and heard the bell as Ngannou celebrated as if he had already won.
Fury switched stances again in the fourth as Ngnanou switched to the body. The MMA star had Fury in trouble again as he manhandled him back to the ropes. But Fury responded with a left hand as he momentarily threw caution to the wind. Fury appeared to have recovered from his knockdown by the fifth round and an uppercut whistled past Ngannou’s chin. Fury did connect with a one-two and could be confident he was ahead on the judges’ cards at the halfway point.
Ngannou, whose conditioning had been questioned before the fight, was struggling to throw with authority by the sixth round as his mouth hung open. Fury, on the other hand, popped out his jab with precision. Ngannou did land a one-two at the start of the seventh session as he now switched to southpaw before the two giants became entangled and tumbled to the floor.
Ngannou just misses Fury (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)Both men received treatment around their eyes on their stools as the war wounds began to surface. Ngannou briefly stirred the crowd as he landed a left hand as he sought that elusive fight-ending blow. Fury returned the favour with a right hand to the chin but Ngannou shrugged it off.
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Neither man looked keen to push the pace in ninth round before Usyk saluted the crowd before the final session, as if delivering his verdict on his adversary’s performance. Fury and Ngannou touched gloves at the bell for the 10th round but the latter looked fatigued while Fury was content to pop out his jab to ensure his fate lay with the judges.
The undercard was held in a separate, outdoor venue with a few thousand spectators - and very few big-name celebrities. But the home crowd embraced the early fights in the way only novice fans not yet fatigued by early-evening mismatches - and they were rewarded with a pulsating British heavyweight title fight as Fabio Wardley beat David Adeleye to defend his belt.
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Wardley was slows out of the blocks but improved as the fight went on and he knocked out Adeleye in the seventh round, with the loser pushing referee Jason Latham after the stoppage. Earlier, Martin Bakole ensured he remains on track for a mandatory world title shot when he stopped Carlos Takam.
The fight came to life in the third round when Bakole, as if content Takam posed little danger, laid siege to his rival, thundering home his left hook, only to find Takam more resilient than expected. The Cameroonian, who was on the card at Ngannou's request, survived to hear the bell but succumbed in the fourth session. Bakole's left hook to the body did the damage before the referee stepped in to wave off the contest.
Fury may not yet be ready to officially retire, but Moses Itauma did his case as his fellow Brit's natural successor. He needed less than two minutes to stop Istvan Bernath, dropping him with a right hand before the referee waved off the contest after another onslaught. At 34, Arslanbek Makhmudov is 16 years Itauma's junior and no intention of being upstaged by the teenager. The Canada-based heavyweight also needed less than three minutes to stop Junior Anthony Wright.
Joseph Parker ensured his name remains in the frame for another world title shot with an impressive stoppage of Simon Kean. After a quiet opening two rounds, Parker sensed his opportunity and dropped Kean with an uppercut. The Canadian failed to beat the count and the bout was waved off. The first fight of the night saw Liverpool's Jack McGann stop Roberto Duran Jr with a stunning left hook in the second round.