TYSON FURY DEFEATS FRANCIS NGANNOU BY SPLIT DECISION
World heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, won a split decision over mixed martial arts fighter Francis Ngannou in their boxing match in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
Ngannou knocked Fury down in round three but the 35-year-old British fighter, though shaken, was able to continue.
The undefeated Fury earlier this week laughed off his opponent as a ābig fat sausageā but afterwards acknowledged that the 37-year-old Cameroonian had effectively kept him off-balance.
āHeās a very awkward man, and heās a good puncher and I respect him a lot,ā Fury said of Ngannou, adding that it was āprobably one of the toughestā fights he has had in a decade.
Fury was the overwhelming favourite against boxing novice Ngannou.
āThis was my first boxing match, great experience ā- Iām not giving any excuse,ā Ngannou said in a ringside interview.
āI know I come up short, Iām going to come back and work harderā¦ now I know I can do this.ā
Furyās WBC heavyweight belt was not on the line in the āBattle of the Baddestā in the Saudi capital Riyadh, but Saudi officials nevertheless hoped it would further boost the Gulf kingdomās reputation as a top-flight boxing destination.
With all parties desperate to lend the contest some sporting legitimacy, the WBC had fashioned a āRiyadh Championā belt to allow the winner to strut around the ring at the end with something other than a big, fat pay cheque.
Fury has been linked with a Ā£50 million ($60.6 million) payout from Sundayās exhibition bout, while he has said in the British press that Ngannou will earn Ā£10 million.
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