Tyson Fury, the WBC heavyweight world champion, narrowly defeated former UFC fighter Francis Ngannou in a split decision in a non-title fight in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
Ngannou, who had never boxed professionally before, dropped Fury to the canvas in round three with a left hook, but Fury could see out the round and ultimately win the fight.
Two judges gave Fury the win 96-93 and 95-94, while the third scored it 95-94 in favor of Ngannou.
Fury said that he would like to fight Ngannou again “down the line” after an undisputed title fight with Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, who is the IBF, IBO, WBO, and WBA champion.
Ngannou, who vacated his heavyweight belt after a contract dispute with UFC and exited as a free agent in January, said that he will look at what he can do to improve his game and return even better.
“My training camp was only three and a half months and I came into this with an injury.
“But I don’t want to give excuses. I will look at what I can do next to improve my game to come back even better.
“Now I know I can do this,” Ngannou said. “Get ready. The wolf is in the house.“
