"Unlike the superman punch, this was f**king illegal" - Francis Ngannou exposes Tyson Fury’s illegal elbow strike with incriminating video footage
Francis Ngannou made his professional boxing debut over the weekend, losing the bout against Tyson Fury via split decision. Despite the loss, many believed that 'The Predator' was the rightful winner and robbed of a victory. The result was not the only controversial moment of the fight, however, as the WBC heavyweight champion landed an elbow, which is permitted in mixed martial arts but not boxing, in the sixth round.
The former UFC heavyweight champion shared footage of the illegal strike to X, captioning the post:
"Unlike the superman punch, this was f**king illegal 🛑 #furyngannou #battleofthebaddest"
Check out Francis Ngannou's tweet on Tyson Fury's elbow below:
While Fury clearly threw an elbow, he was not deducted a point for the illegal sixth-round strike. If he had been deducted a point, the bout would have ended as a split decision draw as the third and decisive judge had him winning the bout 95-94.
Although the WBC heavyweight champion outlanded the former UFC heavyweight champion 71 to 59 in total punches, Ngannou was able to land 37 power punches compared to 32 for Fury. Furthermore, 'The Predator' picked up the only knockdown of the ten-round bout as he sent his opponent to the canvas with a vicious left hook in the third round.
While most pundits predicted that Ngannou would gas out and slow down in the later rounds, he remained active for the entire fight. In addition to throwing more punches than his opponent over the final five rounds, 'The Predator' was more active in the latter half of the fight than he was in the first half.
Eddie Hearn believes Francis Ngannou was robbed
Francis Ngannou lost his professional boxing debut against Tyson Fury via split decision. Despite this, many felt that he deserved to win the bout. Eddie Hearn was among those who felt that 'The Predator' was robbed. Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, the boxing promoter stated:
"The only disappointment is that this man should be walking away, in my opinion, with the greatest victory. I mean it's not even close. You talk about Buster Douglas, Mike Tyson. You talk about Andy Ruiz, Anthony Joshua at the Garden, not even close. He's never had a professional fight. It is the most remarkable, remarkable performance and event inside a ring that anyone's ever seen."
Check out Eddie Hearn's comments on Francis Ngannou below (starting at the 27:13 mark):
While Ngannou did not walk away with the victory, he received plenty of praise from both the boxing and mixed martial arts communities after his performance. It is unclear if he will continue his boxing career or return to mixed martial arts.