"I wasn't fairly treated" - Francis Ngannou details why he did not appeal the split decision despite believing he won
Francis Ngannou, like many other combat sports enthusiasts, was dissatisfied with his split decision loss to Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia.
The Cameroonian delivered perhaps the most inspiring performance in crossover boxing, going head-to-head with the reigning lineal heavyweight boxing champion, Tyson Fury. 'The Predator' even knocked down Fury during a pivotal moment in the third round of their bout.
Despite Ngannou's vocal discontent with the judges' verdicts, he harbors reservations about the likelihood of a successful appeal.
Francis Ngannou's performance in his inaugural boxing match proved far from being one-sided like the odds suggested, as he pushed the lineal heavyweight champion to the brink.
The former UFC heavyweight champion had claimed earlier that he went into the fight with the recognition that the odds would be unfavorable if the fight were closely contested, given his newcomer status in the sport.
Despite the loss, Ngannou remains undaunted in his pursuit of boxing bouts in the future. Reflecting on why he won't appeal the decision in an interview with TMZ Sports, Ngannou stated:
"That's something that is very complicated. Inside the ring, I didn't know exactly what happened in the fight... For some reason, I felt like everything was against me."
Ngannou went on to assert that the Fury camp had initially cautioned the referee to be vigilant for any potential MMA moves from the Cameroonian. However, it was Fury who ended up delivering an illegal elbow, leaving Ngannou feeling that he had been subjected to unjust treatment during the fight. He added:
"I feel like I wasn't fairly treated and that is the only part that s*cks about it... [One judge] scored the fight 96-93 and I'm like, 'Which fight were you watching?' You do understand that there is a lot of politics and I might just be a collateral damage of a broken system."
Catch Francis Ngannou's comments below (3:20 onwards):
Francis Ngannou's manager claims that plans for next fight are almost finalized
Francis Ngannou is wasting no time in planning his next career move. According to his long-time representative, Marquel Martin, Ngannou has been carefully evaluating his options following his remarkable boxing debut against Tyson Fury.
The Cameroonian, despite officially losing to Fury via a split decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, shocked the combat sports world by pushing the boxing heavyweight champion to the limit. This exceptional performance has opened up a plethora of opportunities for him.
Speaking about the next move in a recent interview on The MMA Hour, Martin stated:
“I think what kind of emerged as of late was Anthony Joshua, right? We’ve had the conversations with Deontay. And obviously, Tyson’s there, but now Joshua can be a potential suitor. Obviously, Eddie Hearn, I have a ton of respect for him as a promoter and he does a great job. He thinks that Anthony Joshua can make light work of Francis, and it’s just... Actually, the team, we were hoping before the Tyson Fury stuff ever came up came to be about, we’re hoping that we got a chance to fight Anthony Joshua."
Catch Martin's comments below: