Francis Ngannou shocked the boxing world when he knocked Tyson Fury down in the third round and took the WBC champion to the final bell.
He lost the fight on a close split decision, which many pundits felt could have gone either way. Should the former UFC champion have had his hand raised, it would have been the single biggest upset in the sport’s history.
One man who was watching events unfold at ringside was unified heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk. Much of the pre-fight talk was about the undisputed clash between the two undefeated champions, which was set to take place on December 23.
Ngannou clearly didn’t read the script and Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, has now ruled out the fight happening on that date, saying Tyson needs to rest up before getting back into camp.
When asked by Boxing King MediaBoxing King Media about the possible delay to the timeline, Usyk was adamant it must happen before the end of the year, otherwise ‘The Gypsy King’ should vacate his title.
“We have a contract saying the fight has to take place on the 23rd of December.
I will be ready for the 23rd, because I’m in training camp. Let him take his time. Let him vacate the title first and then take his rest.”
Rival promoter, Eddie Hearn, called the result a ‘robbery’, but when asked how he scored it, the Ukrainian had Fury as the clear winner.
“7 – 3 to Tyson Fury, including the knockdown.”
After the fight Ngannou said he clearly won and called on Fury to settle matters in a rematch. Although some will say it’s deserved, whether that’s an option Tyson will consider remains to be seen.