'Corrupt shambles' – Canelo, Conor McGregor, Jake Paul and more react to Tyson Fury's controversial split decision win over Francis Ngannou
29/10/2023 02:46
Boxing and MMA stars are voicing their opinions on Tyson Fury's controversial split decision win over Francis Ngannou.
'The Gypsy King' suffered a heavy knockdown in round three and many people thought he was outpointed over ten rounds by the former UFC champion in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
One judge gave the fight to Ngannou with a 95-94 score.
However, he was overruled by the two other officials who awarded a split decision win to Fury with highly debatable scorecards of 96-93 and 95-94.
Boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez reacted to the result by simply sharing an embarrassed face emoji to his X – formerly known as Twitter – account followed by 2.4 million people.
UFC legend Conor McGregor, who was sitting ringside, appeared to enjoy what proved to be a closely contested fight despite Ngannou’s massive underdog status.
"It was a lovely shot, caught him in the back of the head," he told TNT Sports.
"More off balance as well. Fair play to Tyson, he's a tough man as well. Strong chin.
"Jesus, Francis is a powerful boy. Tyson could not hurt him."
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, who has fought several UFC fighters during his career, was quick to point out they are talented after Ngannou's third-round knockdown.
He tweeted: "MMA fighters are easy boxing work??? Shut the f*** up."
When Fury's win was confirmed, 'The Problem Child' made reference to his loss against Tommy Fury which came courtesy of divided officials, Paul added: "Split decision…feels familiar."
Paul's last opponent, UFC icon Nate Diaz reacted to Fury's win by blasting the judges and those calling the fight.
He wrote: "Tyson Fury lost and the boxing commentary biased af dumbasses they need to learn how to box."
Former UFC contender Darren Till agreed with his assessment of 'The Battle of the Baddest'.
"My next fight is gonna be in the world of boxing," Till said.
"But f*** me it's one corrupt shambles of a thing. Francis won that fair and square. Either way he won no matter what. Unlucky Fury… Not a bad fight. Goodnight."
Despite being a part of the boxing fraternity, Chris Eubank Jr thought Ngannou did enough to win and questioned how Fury had prepared for his 35th professional boxing bout.
"Watching from ringside I thought Ngannou won the fight," Eubank Jr proclaimed on social media.
"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 #FuryvsNgannou."
Fury was supposed to fight Oleksandr Usyk on December 23.
Immediately after his win over Ngannou, it was confirmed that he would be taking some time off before meeting the WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion in an undisputed clash.
First, he may need to silence his doubters in a Ngannou rematch.
