Francis Ngannou has called for the judges for his fight against Tyson Fury to be 'sanctioned'.
The former UFC heavyweight champion went up against Fury over the weekend in a 10-round boxing match in Saudi Arabia.
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While Ngannou made an impressive pro boxing debut, knocking down the Brit with a left hook, Fury ultimately prevailed after the judges revealed their scores.
Two judges gave Fury the fight by scores of 96-93 and 95-94, while the other gave Ngannou 95-94.
However, following the fight, the Cameroonian-French mixed martial artist took to his YouTube channel to condemn the judges’ decision.
“I’m confident that I won that fight, but I wasn’t surprised of what happened last night,” he said in the clip.
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“I knew that it would’ve happened. … I think it’s a shame for boxing. 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.”
Ngannou then proceeded to call for a second crack in the ring against Fury.
“I think Tyson is going to fight Oleksandr Usyk. I don’t know when exactly, so I don’t know when we will be able to do the rematch, but I do believe we’re going to run this back,” he said.
“In the meantime, I still have some MMA fights. I might go to PFL, get some fights and then come back to boxing.”
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Ngannou wasn’t the only one to pan the controversial split decision.
One X user shared: “Watching from ringside, I thought Ngannou won the fight. It was close but he was the aggressor, landed heavier shots & scored a knockdown.
"Fury deserved to lose after having so much trouble against a man who has never boxed before… too much time filming Netflix specials, not enough time in the gym I’m guessing. Unlucky Francis."
While another said: “How in the world did Francis Ngannou not win this fight even after scoring a knockdown
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"I think these referees favoured Tyson Fury so they can set up the Usyk match. For his first boxing game, Francis did a great job. I think he was robbed. Wtf is split decision.”
While I’m sure many would tune in for a rematch, don’t expect it to happen anytime soon.
According to the Independent, Fury announced his intention to return home and spend time with his family after his long training camp.
Most likely, the professional boxer won’t return to the ring until sometime in 2024.
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/ Francis Ngannou. Justin Setterfield/Getty ImagesTopics: News, Sport, Boxing, Tyson Fury