Francis Ngannou sent shockwaves through the boxing and combat sports community on Saturday evening, pushing lineal heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury to the limit.
The former UFC heavyweight champion had one of the most successful crossover fights in history after going the distance with Fury, scoring a knockdown, and winning the fight on one of the judge’s scorecards.
Fury ultimately won the fight via a controversial split decision (96-93, 94-95, 95-94), but Ngannou also earned a big win of his own.
Going the distance with the man who many consider to be the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time is a feat in and of itself, but his performance also earned Ngannou a spot in the official WBC rankings, according to his coach.
Dewey Cooper, a former professional boxer and kickboxer who trains Ngannou, said that he was informed ringside by World Boxing Council (WBC) president Mauricio Sulaiman that Ngannou will receive a top 10 spot in the new WBC rankings.
Dewey Cooper told me ringside after #FuryNgannou that Mauricio Sulaiman, president of WBC, told him Francis Ngannou will be ranked top 10 at heavyweight after tonight’s bout. pic.twitter.com/jbIxaXkKpm
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) October 29, 2023
The Fury vs. Ngannou fight went down at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a number of stars like Mike Tyson, Kanye West, Cristiano Ronaldo, Eminem, and Manny Pacquiao in attendance.
Everyone walked away from the fight impressed with the former UFC champ, who was making his professional boxing debut.
There is no word on if or when a rematch will take place, but you would have to imagine it will be held later down the line.
As for Fury, he was tentatively scheduled to face Oleksandr Usyk on December 23 in Saudi Arabia, but those plans are now up in the air after his narrow victory over Ngannou.
