Carl Froch Claims ‘Corruption’ Prevented An Ngannou Win, Ngannou Reacts Too

In some latest boxing news, Carl Froch has claimed that Francis Ngannou had been robbed in his ‘split-decision’ loss to Tyson Fury.

The former UFC heavyweight champion was making his boxing debut in a fight where he far exceeded the expectations that were put on him. Prior to the fight, Fury was expected to come out victorious rather comfortably.

Although the Gypsy King may have gotten the victory, Ngannou arguably gave Fury the toughest fight in recent memory. In the third round, the MMA fighter connected with a left hook that sent Fury to the floor.

While the WBC heavyweight champion did adjust to box behind the jab, Ngannou continued to press the action. And yet, the following scorecards failed to reflect that: 94-95, 96-93, 95-94. In response, this is what Froch had to say.

Froch On Ngannou

“Ngannou was in the fight. He was moving his head well, he was well balanced… he was landing the bigger, harder, hurtful shots. I thought Ngannou won the fight. I scored it that he won the fight two or three rounds at least. With the knockdown, I thought he deserved to get his hand held at the end.

“I think the reason that the fight was in Tyson Fury’s favor last night was purely because this fight they’ve been talking about on the 23rd of December. Tyson Fury, Alexander Usk unification fight, Undisputed—that’s what we want to see and that’s what we should be getting. That’s the reason I think that Ngannou didn’t get the nod last night. For me, it’s corruption. It’s corruption at the highest level.

Much in the same way, Ngannou echoed those comments by questioning the nature of the decision. A win for Ngannou would have disrupted the undisputed plans with Oleksandr Usyk, given the absence of a rematch clause.

As such, a win for Ngannou would have given the MMA fighter all the cards to call the shots moving forward. And given that the undisputed bout had been so long in the making, there was simply too much on the line.

Ngannou On The Loss

“There’s a structured business out there and you need to do a lot to destroy it. That’s why it would be an upset. I wasn’t expecting to win like that in a decision. But it is what it is. I do my job. I know I did everything I could have done. I did my best. Maybe next time I should just do better to convince people.

“I think it’s a shame for boxing though. I think it’s a shame for this sport. And those judges or whoever, they should be sanctioned. Again, I want to understand why those judges judge like that, because for me, to be honest, I don’t care that much about that decision, but I think those kinds of decisions mess up a lot of people’s careers,” Ngannou stated 

Ngannou certainly gave a good account of himself, which will no doubt increase his standing moving forward if he does decide to enter the boxing ring again.