Picture: for illustration purposes
Reigning WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury welcomed MMA fighter Francis Ngannou into the boxing arena early Sunday morning in a bout that was anything but pedestrian. Ngannou, making his boxing debut, not only survived the fight but distinguished himself in this adrenaline-fueled 10-round contest.
Despite many expecting Ngannou to be an easy fight for Fury, the MMA fighter proved to be a formidable opponent, even knocking down Fury in the third round. Juan Carlos Pelayo of Mexico and Alan Krebs of the United States both awarded victory to Fury; however, Ed Garner of Canada favored Ngannou.
Both boxers displayed their own strengths in this fiercely competitive fight. Fury emerged successful, landing 71 punches overall to Ngannou's 59. Ngannou, perhaps reflecting his MMA roots, managed to land a larger fraction of power shots, 37 to Fury's 32.
The explosive contest saw prominent figures, including recording artists Kanye West and Eminem, football star Cristiano Ronaldo, UFC headliner Conor McGregor, and boxing greats like Sugar Ray Leonard and Manny Pacquiao, lending their support from the sidelines. The event took place at Saudi Arabia's 26,000-seat Kingdom Arena, as a part of the country's entertainment festival, Riyadh Season.
Home to Ngannou in Las Vegas and most famous for his UFC victories, the fighter stepped out of his comfort zone to face Fury in the boxing ring. With guidance from boxing heavyweight Mike Tyson, Ngannou embraced this new challenge, showing impressive resilience and capability in his debut.
Despite Ngannou's unexpected strong performance, Fury was able to maintain his undefeated streak, although he admitted that it was "probably one of the toughest fights in the last 10 years". This bout arguably opened new avenues, suggesting more crossover fights between MMA and boxing could be on the horizon.