29 October 2023 , 08:25
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Luke Campbell has labelled Tyson Fury's controversial win over former MMA star Francis Ngannou a "joke" and claimed the judges' scorecards are guilty of "destroying the sport."
Ngannou stunned the newly opened Boulevard Hall stadium in Riyadh when he knocked the heavyweight champions down in the third round of their 'Battle of the Baddest' bout. However, it wasn't enough to claim a victory, with one judge scoring the fight 95-94 in favour of Ngannou but the other two handing Fury the edge 96-93 and 95-94.
Fury's camp will be delighted he narrowly escaped defeat as his upcoming showdown against Oleksandr Usyk just before Christmas will still take place. Had he lost, the meeting with Usyk and the millions of pounds that come with it would have been plunged into doubt.
Former Olympic gold medallist and lightweight world title challenger Campbell issued a scathing assessment of the contest soon after. "What a joke that is. Destroying the sport," Campbell wrote on his X account. He soon added: "I see a lot of excuses coming."
Ngannou continued to successfully land punches long after his third-round knockdown of Fury, while it was his opponent who looked far worse for wear come the end of the bout. And yet, Fury was named the winner and his attention will turn to the showdown with Usyk before the turn of the year.
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Campbell's sentiments were echoed by Chris Eubank Jr, who took to social media to claim: "Watching from ringside I thought Ngannou won the fight. It was close but he was the aggressor, landed heavier shots & scored a knockdown.
"Fury deserved to lose after having so much trouble against a man who has never boxed before… too much time filming Netflix specials not enough time in the gym I’m guessing. Unlucky Francis."
HAVE YOUR SAY! Was Fury wrongly awarded the win? Comment below
Francis Ngannou knocked down Tyson Fury in the third round but failed to get the win (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)The result certainly did not go down well with fans online, as many voiced their anger at the fact Fury was named the winner. One wrote: "Cristiano Ronaldo leaving the arena after the end of the Fury vs Ngannou fight. The goat looks disappointed, he recognises a daylight robbery when he sees one."
Ngannou received support from famous faces within the MMA community, as former UFC champion Henry Cejudo claimed: "The biggest upset in combat sports history! Francis Ngannou just became the Lineal World heavyweight BOXING champion."
Promoter Eddie Hearn wasted little time in revealing what he thought and quickly poked fun at Fury, saying: "I'm absolutely lost for words. Fury looked like he'd never laced up a pair of gloves before. I thought Ngannou won by two rounds… Forget Fury vs Usyk, no one's interested, just give us Fury vs Anthony Joshua. AJ will knock Fury out inside six rounds."