Andre Ward Won’t Underestimate Ngannou After The Fury Fight
Andre Ward has backed Francis Ngannou to go on to better things following his performance against Tyson Fury.
The former UFC heavyweight champion of the world was making his boxing debut on October 28th, 2023, against the current WBC heavyweight champion. There was an expectation that Fury would win comfortably, with Ngannou gassing out in the later rounds. And yet, the performance turned out to be anything but that.
Ngannou dropped Fury in round three, as he continued to land power shots in the aftermath. The decision, however, did not go in his favor, as Ngannou won by a split decision. And yet, many in the boxing and MMA community disagreed. And after having seen Ngannou put on a remarkable performance, Ward refused to criticize his chances moving forward.
Ward On Ngannou
“Styles make fights, and we have to see, but after what he did with Fury, I’m not going to write him off anymore. I didn’t see that at all. I’m typically right on, or somewhere in the ballpark, and I was at a gym…So I yell over, I’m like, ‘The fight is still going?’
“And the look on their face — they look, they say, ‘Oh yeah, it’s going and Fury may be losing.’ I’m like, ‘No.’ I get off the Stairmaster, right after that he gets dropped. I just couldn’t believe it, and it was a legitimate knockdown. I don’t know what to make of it. I got to give him his credit. He deserves every bit of what he is getting. I know he’s going to have another big fight or two,” Ward said
Ngannou’s Future
That performance has earned Ngannou potential fights against Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder. That has also been accompanied by suggestions that a rematch with Fury could occur later down the line. Outside of the boxing world, a potential fight with Jon Jones has been talked about. However, as of now, that seems unlikely, given Dana White’s refusal to do a cross promotion with the PFL. Nevertheless, given that Ngannou is entering into the latter parts of his career, the focus will also be on securing the most money available. And at a time when UFC fighters are often accused of not getting paid what they deserve, Ngannou’s highest payday from the Fury fight was welcomed.
“He said he made more money in that fight than he did in his whole UFC career. That’s what it’s about, especially as you start getting older. I don’t have the words. I don’t know how that happened,” Ward stated
As of now, Ngannou’s next steps are unclear. The MMA fighter is expected to make his PFL debut in 2024 under MMA rules. However, an opponent remain unclear, leaving Ngannou potentially short of options. But with no shortage of people queuing up to face him in the boxing world, the fighter is in a good place.
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