Tyson Fury shows off black eye and bruised face from Francis Ngannou fight
If there was any doubt that Tyson Fury was put through the wringer by Francis Ngannou on Saturday then the face of the 'Gypsy King' tells the story.
In a bout billed as 'Battle of the Baddest' in Riyadh, Fury was widely expected to outbox an opponent who had never previously indulged in professional boxing. Instead, the ex- UFC heavyweight champion emerged as the victor in every way bar the actual verdict of the judges.
Having been floored in the third round, Fury managed to take the 10-round fight to the scorecards. But despite seemingly being second best, the WBC heavyweight champion was awarded a split decision, with the scorecards dubiously reading 95–94, 96–93, 94–95 in his favour.
The verdict was savaged by the likes of pundit Carl Froch, who said: "Fury looked like he got beat up and won the split decision. I agree that he won that split decision because of what's going to happen, the Saudi money is massive, they've got the big expectations of December 23 with the unification fight between Fury and (Oleksandr) Usyk.
"So unfortunately for Ngannou he's fought the fight of his life on his pro debut against arguably the best heavyweight of the current era and he's been robbed of a decision. It sounds ridiculous and ludicrous but I think the general consensus is exactly what I've just said; Ngannou was robbed!"
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Regardless, fans were left in no doubt as to whether Fury, 35, had been hurt by his Cameroonian-French opponent. He appeared in public on Sunday sporting heavy bruising around his left eye.
Tyson Fury’s face the day after the Francis Ngannou fightHAVE YOUR SAY! How lucky was Tyson Fury against Francis Ngannou? Comment below.
The Fury camp has been unusually quiet since the bout in Saudi, although immediately after his 'win' the Englishman did acknowledge the power of Ngannou. But he denied the knockdown caused him lasting pain.
"It’s a part of boxing. I got caught behind the head again," he said. "I wasn’t legs hurt or anything, I was alright. It was what it was, I got back up and got back to my boxing.”
Fury looked likely to face Oleksandr Usyk in a historic unification bout on December 23, again in Saudi Arabia. The Ukrainian was present for the Ngannou bout, later expressing he was willing his rival to win so their potential clash wasn't scuppered.
But Fury's promoter Frank Warren has now stated the bout is not going to take place until next year. "We were going to do it on December 23. I doubt that will happen now," Warren told the 5 Live boxing podcast.
"Tyson can't be going into a camp after a tough fight like that. That's eight weeks away. He needs at least a bit of time to get himself, his body, back into shape. Let it heal. Then get into a camp. It will be on early next year."
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