Ngannou Credits Fury For Having A Hard Punch
Francis Ngannou has revealed that Tyson Fury is a hard puncher following their recent fight.
The former UFC heavyweight champion made his boxing debut against the Gypsy King on October 28th, 2023. Ngannou rose above the expectations that were put on him by delivering a highly-competitive performance. He managed to trouble Fury in round three with a swift left hook that sent the Gypsy King to the canvas.
In addition, the MMA fighter managed to stay with Fury until the final bell as he took several shots from the Gypsy King. Despite Fury managing to have stopped Deontay Wilder on two occasions, he could not do the same when it came to Ngannou. However, the latter still gave the WBC champion his credit for having a hard punch.
Ngannou On Fury
“He hits pretty good. Punchers [in MMA] are not as strong as boxers. They (boxers) have the speed, they know how to throw it and everything. He hits pretty good. I ate some good shots. I was like ‘f—,’ you know? But it was a pretty good shot. It’s good when you feel a punch; that means you are still up,” Ngannou said
At the same time, Ngannou downplayed his punch, which sent Fury to the canvas. He expanded on how it did not connect fully, which was why Fury managed to get up. Before the fight, Ngannou was labelled one of the hardest punches ever.
But since they were wearing boxing gloves, there was a perception that Ngannou’s power would not have transcended without wearing MMA gloves. Although Ngannou dispelled those claims by putting Fury on the floor, he recognised that keeping him down would have taken more than that.
Ngannou On His Power
“No, no, it was really nothing. It wasn’t a strong punch, so I know that he’s gonna get up. It was a punch that hit his shoulder first before it his temple. Everyone will go down. Everyone will go down with a clean shot,” Ngannou
Naturally, Ngannou has had a desire to run things back. Following the fight, the MMA fighter was keen on Fury giving him a rematch before he faced Oleksandr Usyk. That failed to materialise as Fury and Usyk will face off for the undisputed heavyweight title on February 17th, 2024.
While there is a rematch clause in place, Ngannou still wants to face Fury again. The split-decision loss divided many in the boxing community, with Carl Froch making it clear that Ngannou had been robbed of corruption at ‘the highest level.’ But looking back, Ngannou felt he had the correct game plan going into the fight.
“I was there to fight and to win. He’s the champion. I had to go after him. I wasn’t going there to count. My game plan was not to count him and to survive. My game plan was to fight and to win and to dictate my own rule,” Ngannou
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