21 February 2024 , 12:16
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David Haye believes Francis Ngannou is the "baddest man on the planet" despite his defeat by Tyson Fury.
Ngannou dropped Fury in the third round of his professional boxing debut in Saudi Arabia last October before he lost a narrow split decision on the judges' scorecards. Ngannou will now take on Anthony Joshua next month while Fury's undisputed heavyweight world title fight with Oleksandr Usyk has been pushed back to May 18.
And Haye, who himself ruled as the division's champion, insists Ngannou deserves the credit from his fight with Fury. "The Fury vs. Ngannou fight brought mixed emotions," he wrote on social media. "Fury secured a close points win, moving closer to the “Undisputed Fight” with Usyk. But Ngannou's incredible performance truly stood out.
"In my view, Ngannou had the edge, winning more rounds than he lost, including a legit knockdown, that 10-8 round was significant. Ngannou's control in a boxing ring with only boxing rules impressed me the most, particularly as it was his first ever boxing match. Despite Fury's victory, let's pay our respect to Ngannou's status as “The Baddest Man on The Planet”.
Joshua won all three of his fights in 2023 as he bids to return to the top of the heavyweight division, but Ngannou is determined to derail that ambition. Ngannou said: “I’m going to come as an underdog to win the fight. I will get this done, I’m just a beginner.
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"I will come out better and that’s how I see things. I prepared for a hard fight. The Fury fight is in the past and I will take this more serious than before because there’s more on the line, the undisputed. I will do something nobody has done before and I have the tools to do that. It will not be an easy fight, but a possible one (to win)."
The winner of Ngannou's fight with Joshua could take on the winner of Fury's clash with Usyk for the undisputed title this summer. Fury and Usyk should have met last weekend but the Brit suffered a cut over his right eye two weeks before the first bell, forcing him to pull out and the fight to be moved back by three months.