Francis Ngannou recalls dropping Tyson Fury

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Former MMA hard hitter turned pro boxer, Francis Ngannou, discussed what he thought immediately after knocking down world champion Tyson Fury in his boxing debut recently.

Cameroonian Ngannou revealed his mood when he saw Tyson Fury fall down from his left hook in the third round of their ten-round bout at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This was at an interview with The Last Stand.

‘I was [feeling] pretty good,’ the former UFC fighter answered when asked what he was feeling at that moment. ‘I mean, I have watched Fury many times; I have watched him take a strong hand, go down, unconscious, and then come back.’

One of Tyson Fury’s known strengths is his ability to shake off the dizziness from blows, beating the refree’s countdown and continuing the match. American former world champion Deontay Wilder knocked Fury down more than three times during their WBC heavyweight title trilogy, which ended in one draw and two wins for Fury.

‘So I knew [I could knock him down],’ went on Ngannou. ‘I was expecting [more] because I was looking at him; his eyes were open, and he looks like he was all conscious.’

These last statements might serve as likely expectations for the increased activity Francis Ngannou demonstrated in subsequent rounds of the match. The new heavyweight pugilist was not able to score another drop, however, but the result of his attempts to do so might be why he only lost by a narrow split decision.

It is a common belief among many that the judges gave the victory to Tyson Fury to avoid any hindrance to the prescheduled, undisputed world heavyweight title bout between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. Though the bodily injuries he sustained from the face-off will keep him from competing until next year, Tyson Fury is expected to meet Usyk in the ring as soon as February.

Furthermore, Ngannou juxtaposed the weight of Fury’s punch with that of MMA practitioners during the interview. He also brought up the fact that the gloves used in either discipline play a part in how hard a blow feels.

‘Fury punches pretty good,’ he recalled. ‘I ate some of his shots – he punches very strong. And he was with 10oz gloves, because MMA fights are 4oz gloves. In boxing it’s 10oz. I think, so far, he is the top [hard hitter.]’

John Fury, who is the father of Tyson Fury, commented in the past that people should consider that Francis Ngannou has been struck with parts of the body people did not get hit with in professional boxing. He did argue that a man who underwent such strikes would not be fazed by blows from the big gloves professional boxers use. Ngannou’s comment on the gloves could be an unwitting witness to that statement.

Finally, people expect Ngannou to contest at Riyadh again this year since he seemed better than Tyson Fury following their faceoff, but the African made it clear that his next opponent in professional boxing was going to be Tyson Fury.