"Boxing is now a business disguised as a sport” - Francis Ngannou’s coach sounds off on controversial decision loss to Tyson Fury
Francis Ngannou took on Tyson Fury in a much-anticipated crossover clash in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
It was the first professional boxing fight of Ngannou's career, and given the difference in skill and experience, very few expected 'The Predator' to find success against Fury.
But Francis Ngannou was able to go toe-to-toe with the WBC heavyweight boxing champion for all 10 scheduled rounds. The former UFC heavyweight champion also landed a left hook in Round 3 that dropped his opponent to the canvas.
The competitive nature of the clash stunned both fans and fighters. Fury was awarded a split-decision win on the judges' scorecards, but many believed that Ngannou had done enough to win the fight.
Ngannou's coach Dewey Cooper has now sounded off on the state of boxing following the controversial decision. He said:
"I felt it was probably even on rounds, but the knockdown should have given us the advantage, like the one judge had it. 95-94 [in favor of Francis Ngannou] is how I scored it. I even told Francis in the last round you've got to stay sharp... I thought we had won it closely. But winning this fight closely is a magnificent accomplishment, everybody said we had no shot."
Cooper continued:
"I felt we won the fight by a round or two, but this is why boxing is going on a slight decline. Boxing is now a business disguised as a sport."
Watch the video below from 3:55:
Francis Ngannou declares himself the "Table Tennis" world champion following Tyson Fury fight
Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou's fight proved once again why combat sports can be the most unpredictable sport in the world.
Entering fight night, Fury was a massive -1200 favorite, while Ngannou was a +1080 underdog. Given that it was Ngannou's debut boxing match, the expectation was that 'The Gypsy King' would dominate with ease.
During the pre-fight media obligations, Tyson Fury was quoted comparing his clash with Francis Ngannou to Novak Djokovic facing the table tennis world champion at Wimbledon.
However, Fury's words have not aged well, given how close his fight with Ngannou was. 'The Gypsy King' was stunned by a left hook in Round 3 that dropped him, and he appeared to struggle to find his shots throughout the fight.
Following his controversial split-decision loss, Ngannou took to X to declare the following:
"Tabel tennis champion of the world."
See the post below: