Francis Ngannou took to his YouTube channel, like most people do in the modern world, to address his closely-contested loss to WBC heavyweight champion and lineal champion Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia today. Ngannou, who won over the hearts of fans and made a lot of people in the boxing world dismayed with how well he did against one of the best boxers in the world as a novice - made history when he dropped Fury in the third round, despite losing a split-decision.
Ngannou reflected on the fight the day after stating that he feels he won the fight, which seemingly will make him a legend for the rest of time.
“I really believe I didn’t come up short [in the fight],” said Ngannou on his YouTube channel. “I believe [I stood] toe-to-toe with the number-one boxer in the world in my first match, and basically won the fight.”
Ngannou furthered that he never felt in danger in the fight, but rather was unsure how his body would react to these new situations he had never been in. It seemed that he was waiting to make sure his body would respond the right way and might even be more dangerous in future fights.
“That battle with myself was there more than anything,” reflected Ngannou about the mental side being harder than the fight itself it seems. “After that with the fight going on I wasn’t thinking too much about it. I was like ‘well, I think I am doing this.’”
Expressing his conviction that he deserved the victory, Ngannou raised concerns about the judging of boxing matches an age-old trope often explored, as well as reflected that he felt fresher in the final rounds than he did in some of the middle rounds. Ngannou’s life has played out like a movie going from poverty to world champion and seemingly is shocked by the outcome. If you expect to see the Fury rematch though, you are not in luck as Ngannou made it clear he intends to fight in the PFL next which will mark his MMA return.
“It’s been almost two years since I last competed [in MMA]," said Ngannou. "So I think I should be back in five to six months and at least compete twice next year.”
In the end, Ngannou sent a remark that echoed as he shamed the sport of boxing in a rather honest and sincere way that seemingly offered more spite than anger ever could’ve.
“I think it’s a shame for boxing,” said Ngannou. “I think it’s a shame for this sport. I think those judges or whoever, they should be sanctioned. I want to understand why those judges judge like that.”
