Carl Froch gives his opinion on Ngannou-versus-Fury-shock: ‘I think Ngannou won that fight’
Former boxer Carl Froch gave a lengthy opinion on the just-concluded bout between Tyson Fury and debutant underdog Francis Ngannou.
In his statement, the seasoned enthusiast said he thought Ngannou won the match and was ready to compete with the world’s heavyweight boxers for the world title.
‘Ngannou was in the fight, counterpunching, looking for the jab, he landed that left hook in round three,’ recalled Froch. ‘Did he make a mockery of the current heavyweight champion?
‘What did Fury do wrong? Maybe he was ill-prepared but he was still behind his jab, throwing plenty of feints. Ngannou was exceptionally good for a debutant.
‘I didn’t score the fight, but you get a feel for who you think’s won the fight and, with that knockdown in round three, I think Ngannou won that fight.
‘That statistics show that Fury landed more punches in six or seven or the rounds, but if somebody lands ten clean jabs in one round and the opposing fighter lands one big right hand, who wins that round?
‘It’s subjective. Me, myself, I like to see a big right hand land and some damage be done.’
Carl Froch went on.
‘I think Tyson Fury’s head will hit the pillow after that Ngannou fight and think ‘can I retire on the back of that? I’ve just been gifted a decision there. Ngannou got robbed. Can I really finish my career there?
‘Is that it? Is that his legacy? What’s he got – a win against Klitschko, two against Deontay Wilder … He’s got to fight Usyk to cement his legacy … 99% of people on social media are saying it’s a robbery.’
‘I do feel like he’s taken his eye off the ball and is not that interested in having a competitive boxing match anymore. So when you say he might not fight again, he just might not.’
‘But the Fury-Usyk fight is that big, and the Saudi money is that big, it just dominates everything.’
‘Ngannou belongs in the mix now with the heavyweight division. He’s proven that he can jump in there with Wilder, AJ. It’d be nice to see him in there with some of the lower level British heavyweights, but after doing that to Fury, I feel like he deserves a shot at the world title.’
Tyson Fury will face Oleksandr Usyk next year for the undisputed heavyweight bout intended to supply one heavyweight king. It has been disclosed that any of both fighters can activate a rematch clause if defeated.