Four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr was ringside for the the high-profile crossover spectacle between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou, and has offered his opinion on whether the right man won.
The judges awarded the WBC Heavyweight Champion with a controversial split-decision win in an unexpectedly close contest that saw him dropped to the canvas in the third-round.
This moment, coupled with an all round solid performance from the Cameroonian debutant, has led fans around the globe to believe that Ngannou deserved what would have been one of the sport’s greatest upsets.
Fury held on to his undefeated record but lost a great deal momentum as the standalone best fighter in the heavyweight division. He also suffered enough bruising to cause a delay to his hotly-anticipated undisputed title showdown with Oleksandr Usyk.
On his YouTube channel, Jones gave his opinion on the crazy clash between the Brit and the former UFC sensation, revealing that he felt Ngannou had done enough to be victorious but that he would rewatch before giving a clearer verdict.
“Ngannou was not supposed to be able to do good with Fury, and he did. He even knocked Fury down and Fury didn’t knock him down. So, with that being said, it leaves a lot of people with the thoughts that, leaving the arena tonight, Ngannou should have won the fight.
I probably felt that way too, leaving the arena, but I haven’t looked at it again so I need to look at it again and see. Tonight, my initial thoughts was that I felt like Ngannou might have got that decision.”
Despite initially being scheduled for December 23, the toll of Fury’s battle with Ngannou has caused the Usyk fight to be pushed back to February 2024.