[autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag] can’t believe one judge gave [autotag]Tyson Fury[/autotag] a definitive win over [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag].
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou battled WBC champion Fury to a close split decision loss in their crossover boxing match this past Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Ngannou thought he was robbed in a fight in which he was able to drop Fury with a left hook in Round 3, the only knockdown of the fight.
The overall judges’ scorecards read 96-93 in favor of Fury, 95-94 for Fury, and the third had it 95-94 for Ngannou. Rogan believes Ngannou beat Fury, and he took aim at the particular judge who scored it 96-93 Fury.
“Francis Ngannou had never had a boxing match ever in his life, had zero boxing matches, but he was the UFC heavyweight champion, knocked down Tyson Fury in the third round, beat him up in the eighth round,” Rogan said on “The Joe Rogan Experience” with guest Elon Musk.
“Most people, including me, thought he should’ve won the decision – including most boxers, most boxing pundits. He lost by one point on one judge’s scorecard. He won on one judge’s scorecard, and another judge, who should go to jail, had it 96-93 for Tyson Fury, which is f*cking outrageous.”
It was quite the feat that Ngannou, in his very first boxing match, performed admirably against Fury, who is widely regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of his generation.
Rogan praised Ngannou for defying the odds and taking the fight to Fury the way he did.
“We thought (Fury) was going to run him over because he’s the boxing heavyweight champion,” Rogan continued. “‘There’s no way this guy can box with me.’ He even said at the beginning of the fight, ‘It’s time to go to school,’ and then Francis said at the end of the fight, ‘You are a sh*tty professor.'”
What comes next for Ngannou remains to be seen. Heading into the Fury fight, the expectation was for him to return to MMA in early 2024 for the PFL, who signed him to a deal earlier this year. Ngannou’s contract with the PFL gives him the flexibility to box, and given his performance against Fury, many observers believe he should strike while the iron is hot and focus on boxing instead of MMA.
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For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Fury vs. Ngannou.