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The Punch Which Shook The World
Nobody saw what unfolded at Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou coming. And if you did, you’re probably lying.
Yes, Ngannou reputedly has the hardest punch ever known to man with the record book entry to prove it. But it still didn’t change the fact that he, a former UFC heavyweight champion, was facing someone we’d crowned the current heavyweight GOAT in an entirely different sport.
A heavyweight GOAT, it’s worth adding, who’s so technically gifted that up until this point, he’s managed to dominate the competition and become a two-time WBC champion with the physique of a goddamn forklift driver (I recall someone from the commentary panel saying “six-foot bag of milk”).
In the words of legendary promoter Eddie Hearn: “A mule can kick really hard, but he’s never going to be able to line it up.”
Suffice it to say, none of this was part of the “script.”
Not the mixed martial artist surviving all 10 rounds against boxing’s top dog without sustaining any meaningful damage while dealing plenty of it the other way.
Not that Earth-shattering knockdown in Round 3 against said top dog that almost ended the festivities in the Kingdom of Riyadh nice and early.
And certainly not boxing’s apex predator controversially eeking a split decision victory against his opponent who, while nicknamed “The Predator,” was for all intents and purposes a grass-green debutante to this sport’s professional strata.
Yet in defiance of the odds, in defiance of just about every single logical conclusion one could draw about the situation at hand, Francis Ngannou gave Tyson Fury “one of [his] toughest fights” in the last decade.
“That definitely wasn’t in the script,” a relieved Fury admitted during the post-fight interview.
“He’s a hell of a fighter and a hell of a lot better boxer than we thought he would be. He’s an awkward man and a good puncher, and I respect him a lot.”
“I was caught behind the head for the knockdown. I got back up and got back to my boxing.”
The Gypsy King added: “I don’t know how close it was. I got the win and that’s what it is.”
“You have one guy who has never boxed before, fighting a guy who also looked like he never boxed before,” said Eddie Hearn.
“I can’t believe what we were watching — a complete novice in everybody’s book just beat Tyson Fury. Ngannou won that fight. He dropped him.”
“I mean, they did very little in the back end of the fight, but Fury looked like... you’re talking about the lineal heavyweight champion of the world.”
Officially speaking, this may be a split decision loss for Francis Ngannou’s pro boxing record. But in the hearts and minds of fans and pundits alike, he proved himself worthy of sharing the ring with boxing’s elite (and an estimated payday of $10-$20 million).
Impressively enough, he’s also left an indelible stain upon Tyson Fury’s previously stellar legacy — an asterisk in the annals of history, if you will — and I personally look forward to seeing how the former chooses to spend the remainder of his prime competing.
Perhaps Francis Ngannou vs Deontay Wilder? Maybe even a 12-rounder against Anthony Joshua. Dare we ask for a one-sided demolition job against Andy Ruiz?
It’s a crying shame Ngannou only began dedicating himself to boxing now at the age of 37. Imagine what a world-beater he could’ve become had he been offered the tutelage of “Iron” Mike Tyson a little earlier.
Side note: does this begin to avenge the losses MMA has sustained from Jake Paul within the realm of crossover bouts? I like to think so…
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