Stories like Francis Ngannou’s aren’t thought to be real because they simply don’t happen.
Nobody would ever think that a boy who grew up working in the sand quarries of Cameroon, lived homeless on the streets of Paris in his twenties, took a chance on MMA to eventually become the UFC heavyweight champion in his 30s, and then leave the sport that made him rich to return to his first love and make his professional boxing debut against the heavyweight champion of the world.
And then he almost won.
Although Francis Ngannou lost a narrow split decision to the undefeated WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in a spectacle of an event in Saudi Arabia, it’s perhaps the greatest loss in the history of combat sports because Ngannou had no business being there.
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But he proved his worth, dropping Fury in the third round, adapting from the Octagon to a boxing ring in stunning fashion, and almost pulled off the unthinkable when nobody gave him a chance. And the chance they did give him, the proverbial “puncher’s chance,” wasn’t even necessary as Ngannou boxed well enough to prove that he was worthy of standing across the ring from “The Gypsy King.”
No matter what happens moving forward, Ngannou is a winner. But based on his performance against Fury, one has to wonder what is next for Ngannou.
The hulking heavyweight signed a deal to fight for the PFL in 2024. And while his arrival for the MMA promotion will be huge, there is reason to believe that this isn’t the last we will see of Ngannou in a boxing ring.
The world is his oyster now as Ngannou’s performance against Fury will have everyone curious about what a fight against other elite heavyweights would look like. Few have pushed Fury to the brink as Ngannou did. Neither Dillian Whyte, Derek Chisora, or Wladimir Klitschko managed to challenge “The Gypsy King” as Ngannou did. Deontay Wilder needed multiple knockdowns in their first fight to muster up a draw and then was knocked out in the next two fights.
Did Fury take Ngannou lightly? Probably. And why wouldn’t he? MMA fighters haven’t had great success against world-class boxers as Floyd Mayweather memorably proved when he toyed with Conor McGregor before knocking him out. It was expected to be a money grab on the way to an undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk. But regardless of the reason for Fury’s performance, the attention will be focused squarely on Ngannou and his next move as he has catapulted himself into being one of the biggest stars in the entire world of combat sports with an unlikely performance.
Ngannou could certainly compete for the PFL next but there is huge interest in seeing the former UFC champion back in a boxing ring sooner rather than later. And the potential opponents are all mouthwatering.
Who wouldn’t want to see Francis Ngannou fight Deontay Wilder in a battle of two of the biggest punchers in the history of combat sports? What about filling up Wembley Stadium for a monster showdown with British megastar Anthony Joshua? There’s no denying the interest in that fight considering Joshua’s penchant for being vulnerable to a big puncher.
He might lose both fights but it doesn’t matter in the slightest because Francis Ngannou was never supposed to make it this far. He wasn’t supposed to be in the UFC, much less become the heavyweight champion of the world. And when UFC president Dana White refused to allow Ngannou to box, he bet on himself by leaving the organization to pursue his dream.
Francis Ngannou proved us all wrong again and now we have to wonder what he will do for an encore.
Author(s)
Andreas Hale is the senior editor for combat sports at The Sporting News. Formerly at DAZN, Hale has written for various combat sports outlets, including The Ring, Sherdog, Boxing Scene, FIGHT, Champions and others.
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