Very few in the boxing world gave Francis Ngannou any hope against Tyson Fury, but the former UFC champion nearly shocked the world.
The MMA star was making his boxing debut against the WBC and Lineal heavyweight champion of the world and surprised just about everyone with his technical abilities to complement his staggering power.
After a cagey opening two rounds, Ngannou landed a counter left hook in the third and sent Fury to the canvas to the amazement of the crowd in attendance.
One man as shocked as everyone else was Oleksandr Usyk. Usyk has signed to fight ‘The Gypsy King’ for the undisputed heavyweight championship and was sat ringside to witness events unfold.
Cameras inside the arena picked up the Ukrainian’s immediate reaction to Fury getting knocked down.
This was Oleksandr Usyk's reaction when Francis Ngannou knocked down Tyson Fury! 😳#BattleOfTheBaddest | #FuryNgannoupic.twitter.com/ymUzxYAMZC
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) October 29, 2023
Ngannou was seen by most as a warm up fight before Fury shared the ring with the unified champion to crown the first undisputed king since Lennox Lewis in 1999. The planned date for that clash was December 23, but with Fury suffering a cut on his forehead and some swelling around his left eye, that timeline seems highly unlikely now.
Speaking straight after the fight Fury admitted things didn’t go according to the script and his opponent was far better than he gave him credit for.
Whether the Brit will grant Ngannou the rematch he immediately called for, or go straight into the Usyk fight remains to be seen.