Francis Ngannou set to be ranked in WBC top 10 list amid calls for title fight rematch with Tyson Fury
Amid calls for a championship fight rematch with incumbent heavyweight titleholder, Tyson Fury off the back of his controversial split decision loss in last night’s professional boxing debut, former UFC gold holder, Francis Ngannou will be officially ranked within the WBC top 10 rankings as per Mauricio Sulaiman.
Ngannou, a former undisputed heavyweight champion under the banner of the UFC, made his professional boxing debut overnight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – suffering a close, hugely-debated split judging loss to Morecambe native, Fury over the course of 10 rounds.
Heralded for his performance in his first venture inside the squared circle, Ngannou even managed to score a clear 10-8 round in the third frame – shocking the world via a massive left hook knockdown.
Following the loss, Ngannou shared his thoughts on the judging on show at the event, claiming that if Fury were totally honest, he would admit the former should have won.
“If he’s (Tyson Fury) being honest, he would say I won that fight,” Francis Ngannou said. “I won that fight – there’s not a question about it. But, you know – and even before getting here [Saudi Arabia], I knew, I knew like, if this fight goes to decision, I’m not winning. Not because I didn’t do good, because I’m the new guy in the house.”
“I just come here and I wanna kick into people’s business,” Francis Ngannou explained. “I know, there is a structure of business out there, and you need to do a lot to destroy it, that’s why it would have been an upset for them. But, it is what it is, I do my job. I know that I did everything that I could have done, I did my best. Maybe next time, I should just do better to convince people more.”
Francis Ngannou set to earn top 10 ranking in next WBC list
With many calling for a rematch between Ngannou and Fury next – potentially even for the WBC heavyweight champion’s undisputed belt, the sanctioning body’s leader, Sulaiman revealed the Cameroonian will be ranked within the top 10 next week.
“Mauricio Sulaiman, the president of the WBC, said he’s going to rank him (Francis Ngannou) in the top 10 because he’s better than most of the heavyweights in the top 10,” Francis Ngannou’s coach, Dewey Cooper told MMA Junkie following the event. “He said that in the ring.”
Who would you like to see Francis Ngannou fight if he continues his boxing run?
