The world of boxing had its most intriguing bout of the year this past weekend, and ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Demetrious Johnson wasn’t swayed by the scorecards.
WBC Heavyweight World Champion Tyson Fury met former UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou in the biggest crossover bout since Mayweather-McGregor in 2017.
The colossal units squared off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, October 29, battling across all 10 rounds. But when the official scores were read, “Mighty Mouse” joined fans in voicing his frustrations when Fury was elected the winner by split decision.
“There’s no way in hell Francis Ngannou lost that fight,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel.
“His patience, as well as bringing in Mike Tyson, showed that Ngannou took this fight very seriously. Ngannou made Fury carry his weight and tired him out. I love Fury, he’s a great boxer. But I don’t think he won that fight.”
Demetrious Johnson believes Francis Ngannou was “absolutely robbed”
Many wrote Francis Ngannou off from the beginning, but Demetrious Johnson was among the few analysts who predicted that “The Predator” could drop Fury. Johnson was proven right when the Cameroon slugger managed to knock down the “Gypsy King” in the third round and shock the world.
Fans believed Ngannou continued to look like the superior fighter for the remainder of the bout, using his size and strength to drain the WBC Heavyweight World Champion’s cardio in the later stages of the match.
And given Ngannou’s output, Johnson agreed. The MMA GOAT feels there was a robbery in Saudi Arabia, and that fans’ intelligence was insulted when Fury was announced as the winner.
TYSON FURY HAS DEFEATED FRANCIS NGANNOU BY SPLIT DECISION!!! 🤯 😱
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) October 28, 2023
95-94 Francis Ngannou
96-93 Tyson Fury
95-94 Tyson Fury#BattleOfTheBaddest | #FuryNgannou pic.twitter.com/FKJTFJuAZn
“He [Ngannou] was absolutely robbed. He won that fight. This is what’s destroying boxing. You have three judges sit there and score the fight that everyone in the whole world is watching. And then when the cards are read, it makes us all look like we don’t know how to score fights,” Johnson continued.
“Sure, there were some rounds that both men took off, but you cannot let that dictate and give it to the champion. Ngannou looked great and moved so damn good. I believe this was his calling all along.”
What are your thoughts on Might Mouse’s assessment of the fight? Let us know in the comments below.