Eddie Hearn: 'Petrified' Tyson Fury held on for dear life against Francis Ngannou and devalued Oleksandr Usyk fight
31/10/2023 12:43
Promoter Eddie Hearn believes Tyson Fury looked petrified during his clash with Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia.
The Gypsy King faced the MMA legend on Saturday night in a fight that he was expected to dominate, but The Predator offered a much sterner challenge than many predicted.
Ngannou managed to knock Fury down while causing plenty of problems in an assured performance, however the fight ultimately went the way of Fury due to a controversial split decision.
Matchroom chief Hearn, who promotes Fury’s rival Anthony Joshua, believes Ngannou can feel harshly treated after being denied one of the greatest upsets in sporting history.
Speaking on The Sports Breakfast, Hearn said: "It was an embarrassing night for boxing but ultimately, the focus was on boxing – the production, the spectacle that Saudi Arabia put on was incredible but I just can't believe it.
"I feel bad because in the build up to the fight it was a complete mismatch.
"You're talking about a guy who has never had a professional boxing match before, a complete novice and in my eyes he beat the number one heavyweight in the world and should have had the glory of the greatest upset in the history of the sport by a mile.
"Forget Buster Douglas against Mike Tyson or Andy Ruiz against AJ, this was on another level – a guy who has never had a professional fight.
"It was close – they didn't really do a lot, it was a poor contest but he dropped Tyson Fury, he hurt him in the eighth and threw him around in the clinch and for me, Francis Ngannou deserved to edge the fight but I'm still baffled by the performance, what happened in the fight and seeing Fury getting dropped. It was a shocker."
Asked if he thought Ngannou won it, Hearn said: "I do. It was a very close fight.
"Tyson Fury was hanging on for dear life at times – he looked petrified.
"All I know is that when the final bell came I thought 'oh my god, he's got him' and so did 90 per cent of the people watching.
"I feel a bit for him because for everyone saying he gained their respect, If he wins that fight it goes down in the history of – not just boxing, but sport."
Asked what the fight means for the prospect of Fury facing Oleksandr Usyk, Hearn predicted: "It's a huge blow for that fight because everyone says that Francis Ngannou should get his rematch and he's going to have a massive fight now.
"I can't believe I'm even saying this, but all of a sudden a Francis Ngannou vs Anthony Joshua fight becomes a huge fight, but for Tyson Fury, the value of the Usyk fight drops considerably because it was a really, really poor performance.
"It's funny because Fury knew that Usyk wasn't really ready for December 23rd – all of last week he says 'he better not run, December 23rd is the date' and then when Usyk was ringside watching Fury and got in the ring to say 'I'm ready, December 23rd, no excuses' and he can't do it – I don't think that fight will happen until February or even March.
"Fury got bashed up against Ngannou, you saw that his eye was in a bad state and he's had a long camp as well.
"The thing with Tyson Fury is that he doesn't take criticism very well, as you guys know! You're banned from talking to Tyson Fury and he's going to get a lot of stick over the coming weeks and months.
"I think he'll probably disappear for a couple of months, have a rest and then get back in camp and we'll see him again in February or March.
"It's still a big fight but nowhere near the size of the fight that it was because to most he just got beat by a complete novice."
