03 November 2023 , 15:00
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A mea culpa from me. I was wrong about Francis Ngannou. He can box, as his performance against Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia showed.
I was surprised at Ngannou’s grasp of the basics, which were far more comprehensive than I had imagined. It was a mistake almost every commentator made, largely because there was no footage of him boxing and no reliable information about his involvement in the sport as a kid in Africa.
He obviously had some exposure to it before he migrated to France and began his MMA career. However, contrary to the opinion of many, Fury deserved to get the result.
Though in winning the fight he did not cover himself in glory. And despite the wild reaction to Ngannou’s display, I’m not sure he has re-invented the wheel.
Ngannou is one dimensional with a long, left hook and a good right hand. There were no sequences to his punching. He cannot put combinations together effectively.
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Fury fell over Ngannou’s straight right then walked into a clubbing left hook. Fury wasn’t hurt, but it changed the complexion of the fight completely.
Francis Ngannou proved me wrong with his display against Tyson Fury (Getty Images)Fury should have been able to outbox Ngannou and get him out of there. He never got close to that. Fury is not a devastating puncher. He is tall with decent hand speed, light on his feet and moves well. But he did not use his range or his skill.
Ngannou is a big, strong fella, but should not have been good enough to take the world champion ten rounds, especially as he seemed to run out of gas in the latter rounds. His moment came early. The knockdown changed everything. Fury was nervous and circumspect after that. I’m not sure Fury took him seriously enough.
If he did that performance is a worry for him. Fury was so poor it is hard to gauge how far Ngannou might go in the sport. Fury looked shaken by the knockdown and reluctant to commit after it.
A fight between Ngannou and Anthony Joshua would be an explosive one (Kym Illman/Getty Images)Fury was supposed to fight in December. Wisely, that is not happening. The talk is now of February or March against Oleksandr Usyk.
As for Ngannou, they are queuing up for a shot against him. Eddie Hearn is banging the drum for a fight with Anthony Joshua. Deontay Wilder has his hands up, too.
A fight against either would tell us more about Ngannou than last Saturday did. Both Joshua and Wilder are past their peak, but they can bang, and it would be explosive.
Follow Barry on Twitter at @ClonesCyclone @mcguigans_gym